Varthur Santosh, a contestant from the 10th season of Bigg Boss Kannada, found himself in legal trouble when he was arrested by the forest department for wearing a tiger claw locket. The arrest came following the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against him, as the possession of tiger claws is prohibited under the law.
The controversy surrounding Santosh began when he was seen wearing the tiger claw locket during his participation in the popular reality show, Bigg Boss Kannada. This caught the attention of the authorities, ultimately leading to his arrest by forest officials.
The forest department took swift action, arriving at the Bigg Boss house late in the evening on October 22. They requested the show’s organizers to provide the chain worn by Santosh for a thorough inspection. After a detailed examination, the officials confirmed that the claws were indeed genuine tiger claws, prompting them to take Santosh into custody.
Ravindra Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forest, shed light on the situation, stating, “It was a public complaint after he was seen wearing tiger claws. After the complaint, we went to inspect it in the Bigg Boss studio near Komaghatta and requested the authorities to hand over the locket. After some delay, they agreed to hand it over to us.”
Kumar continued, “I inspected the golden pendant through proper procedure so we could find out if it was a genuine tiger claw. We further instructed the Bigg Boss authorities to produce him before us. I inquired him about it, and he said that he got it in Hosur three years ago. After he confessed in front of the camera, we arrested him at around 8:30 pm. This is a violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Tigers are considered a highly endangered species. It attracts a maximum punishment of three to seven years of imprisonment.”
The forest range office in Kaggalipura has taken custody of Varthur Santosh, who is known for his role as the chairman of the Hallikar Cattle Breed, and is also popularly referred to as Hallikar Odeya. He gained recognition for his initiative to care for the Hallikar breed of cattle, which added to his public profile.
