Mysuru: Black money hoarders pay huge amounts for vaastu owl'

Mysuru: Wild animals and birds are often targeted by poachers for their parts,  which have high value in the international market for their medicinal uses or other reasons. But in Mysuru the five- fingered Indian Eagle Owl is  much in demand in a  business community, as it believes it can bring it wealth and save it from income tax raids.

Businessmen with large stashes of black money reportedly see this exotic bird as a vaastu prop and pay huge amounts for it. Interestingly,  the sales of these owls touched a high during the recent Assembly poll in the state when forests officials rescued several of them.

A couple of days ago sleuths of the Forest Mobile Squad of Mysuru , rescued an Indian Eagle Owl from two men in the city.  The arrested men, Ravishkumar of Bilgunda in Virajpet and Sridhar of Nagamangala in Mandya reportedly confessed that the five- fingered bird was much sought after by a business community, which believed it could help it keep I-T officials away from its doorsteps . 

In a gruesome practice, some members of this community even chopped off the heads of the owls and buried them in the grounds around their house to attract wealth, they revealed. "As these owls are thought to be vehicles of goddess Lakshmi , they are said to attract wealth," explained the sleuths.  Deputy Conservator of Forests Poovaiah of the Mobile Squad rued that blind belief was responsible for the practice.

In another raid, the Mobile Squad arrested one Shanojkumar (39) of Krishnaraja Nagar in Mysuru for allegedly trying to trade in an elephant tusk.  The man was caught in the past transporting a leopard pelt and a case was registered against him in the  Kumta range of Honnavar division in Uttara Kannada district.