The Villupuram police on Tuesday arrested five persons for opening fire at a bull at Kedar near Gingee in the district on December 30.
The animal was injured on its face in the incident. The police recovered a rifle, an SUV and empty cartridges from them.
The names of the arrested were given as Thirunavakarasu alias Thangaraj, 38, of Thirukkanur, Arulpandi, 24, of Kilputhupet, Arul, 33, of Madurapakkam, Karthik, 26, of Kilputhupet and Anbu alias Anbarasan, 28, of Kuruvinatham.
Superintendent of Police S. Jeyakumar said the main accused Thirunavakarasu had experience in shooting and used to go for hunting with his relative Sekar and friends on weekends.
On December 30, Thirunavakarasu and four others visited a local temple in Ananthapuram and went to Kedar lake in an SUV and a motorcycle for hunting.
Firing in the dark
The gang was roaming near the Kedar Lake at around 3.30 a.m. when it spotted the bull tethered to a cart belonging to Krishnamoorthy.
Presuming it to be a wild boar, Arulpandi fired at the animal injuring it on its face.
When the accused went near it, they were shocked to find a bull bleeding profusely and fled the scene.
Mr. Jeyakumar said that Thirunavakarasu and Arulpandi had submitted a fake document of having surrendered the licensed rifle to a private armory in Kerala.
A special police team arrested the accused from a house on the Tindivanam-Puducherry Road. They were produced before a local court and remanded in custody.