International golfer Jyoti Singh Randhawa was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh forest department on Wednesday for poaching in the Katraniaghat wildlife sanctuary in Bahraich district, officials said. Randhawa and his friend Mahesh Veerajdaar were arrested in the Motipur range where they were poaching wild boars and cheetals.

A case under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act was lodged against them and they have been sent to jail, an official informed. They were spotted by a team of foresters in the Motipur range trying to shoot animals. The skin of a deer and a rifle have been recovered from their vehicle. Field Director Ramesh Pandey confirmed the arrests.

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Randhawa is the former husband of Bollywood actress Chitrangda Singh while Mahesh Veerajdaar is a former army captain and a resident of Maharashtra.

One of the top golfers in the country, Randhawa turned professional in 1994. He finished at the top of the Asian Tour's money list in 2002. He also finished joint runner-up on the European Tour at the 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic, the best performance of his career so far. With a total of 16 professional title wins to his name, Randhawa was ranked in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking several times between 2004 and 2009.