The Forest Department arrested four persons who shot down a wild boar at IOB Colony near Maruthamalai in Coimbatore late on Sunday. Forest staff seized a Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) gun from them.
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Y. Rajkumar (43) from Mullai Nagar, P. Sasikumar (47) from Chinna Thadagam, A.G. Sampath Kumar (39) from Pannimadai and S. Devaraj (55) from Tiruchengode in Namakkal district are those arrested.
According to the Forest Department, its 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 on private land which falls outside Boluvampatti block III reserve forest. A wild boar which was killed by the men was found in the area.
The Forest Department did not share who owned the gun and whether it had a licence.
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The Vadavalli police said that they did not get any complaint from the Forest Department to register a case. A police officer said that the Forest Department usually lodges a complaint when an illegal weapon is used for a wildlife offence.