In a crackdown on illegal wildlife hunting, forest department officials arrested three members of a six-member gang involved in killing a wild boar and selling its meat in Kongarpalayam near TN Palayam in Erode district.
The arrested men have been identified as K Naveen (23), A Vasantha Priyan (20), and K Ayyappan (38), all hailing from Vinoba Nagar. Acting on a tip-off, forest officials raided the area on Saturday evening and nabbed the trio standing suspiciously near a private farm.
Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the men had hunted a wild boar on patta land, butchered it, and sold the meat. Officials seized a country-made gun used in the killing and 1 kg of wild boar meat from the spot.
Forest authorities have launched a search for the remaining suspects: A Periyasamy (29), C Karuppusamy (28), and K Chinnaiyan (36). Notably, Periyasamy and Karuppusamy have previous wildlife offences for hoarding wild boar meat, allegedly stored at Chinnaiyan’s farm.
“We are continuing our efforts to trace the absconding accused. Strict action will be taken under the Wildlife Protection Act,” a forest official confirmed.