The Forest Department arrested four persons, including a repeat offender, who shot down a wild boar at IOB Colony near Maruthamalai late on Sunday. The forest staff seized a Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) gun from them.
B. Ashok Kumar (49) from P.N. Pudur, P. Sasikumar (47) from Chinna Thadagam, A.G. Sampath Kumar (39) from Pannimadai and S. Devaraj (55) from Tiruchengode in Namakkal district were arrested with an SBBL gun.
According to the Forest Department, staff from Coimbatore forest range got specific information that some persons were involved in poaching at Meenatchi Nagar, IOB Colony, on Sunday night.
The staff apprehended four men when they were attempting to escape in a car after shooting a wild boar in a private land which falls outside Boluvampatti block III reserve forest. A wild boar which was killed by the men was found in the area.
Ashok Kumar, a sharp shooter, was involved in poaching incidents in Madukkarai, Boluvampatti and Sirumugai forest ranges earlier. The licence he owned for a rifle was also suspended some years ago, an official said.
District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh said that Ashok Kumar possessed two Aadhaar cards – one in his original name and another in the name of Rajkumar. “We will report about the possession of two Aadhaar cards to the appropriate authority,” he said.
Mr. Venkatesh said that the staff received specific information about the hunting which took place in a residential area through a member of ‘Thadam’, a community information network system created by the department in all forest ranges.
“Thadam was mainly created to report straying of elephants. Now, this group also helped us in arresting accused in a wildlife crime,” he said. All the four accused were produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.
