Chital killed in core area of Chhattisgarh tiger reserve; two held with meat, bows and arrows

RAIPUR: A chital was allegedly hunted inside the core area of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve and forest officials arrested two villagers seizing suspected animal's meat, bows, arrows and animal traps during a raid at a village located within the protected area of Gariyaband district The arrests followed a tip-off about illegal hunting in Amad village, after which forest teams searched the homes of the accused and seized cooked meat suspected to be from a chital along with traditional hunting weapons and animal trapping devices.The accused, identified as Naresh Kumar Bhunjia, 31, and Balaram Sori, 39, have been booked under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and remanded to judicial custody.

Samples of the seized meat have been sent for forensic examination to establish the species.According to forest officials, one of the accused allegedly admitted during questioning to killing a chital near Taripani Ghat on June 17 using a bow and arrow.

Investigators subsequently visited the alleged kill site as part of the probe.Searches conducted at the two houses led to the seizure of four blood-stained arrows, two bows, five wire snares allegedly used for trapping animals, peafowl feathers and other hunting-related material.Officials said investigations are underway to determine whether the incident was an isolated act or part of a larger hunting network operating in and around the reserveYou Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Raipur | Silver Rate in Raipur | Bank Holidays in Raipur | Public Holidays in Raipur | Raipur AQI | Weather in Raipur | Petrol Price in Raipur | Diesel Price in Raipur | CNG Price in Raipur | LPG Price in RaipurStay updated with the latest Raipur news.

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