Two men arrested for hunting spotted deer

Coimbatore: Two people were arrested for hunting a spotted deer at Sirumugai forest range on Saturday.
Forest department officials identified them as Devaraj and S Kumarasamy of Mettupalayam.
A team led by Sirumugai forest range officer E Manoharan conducting patrolling near Karupparayan temple at Pethikuttai in Sirumugai forest range on early Saturday morning had stopped the duo, who were on a motorcycle.
“They said they had encroached the backwater area of Bhavani Sagar dam for agriculture and killed a spotted deer. They confessed that R Devaraj of Mettupalayam used his rifle to hunt the deer. Seven people were involved in the illegal activity. The duo was carrying the meat and skin of the animal in gunny bags,” an official said.
The officials seized about 15kg deer meat, a country-made rifle, bullets and two motorcycles. They have formed a team to nab Devaraj of Mettupalayam, R Ganeshan, P Ayyappan, S Selvaraj of Sirumugai and M Alagiri Samy of Avinashi.