Yadgir, 13 September

Seven people were arrested for illegal wildlife hunting in a forest area of Yadgir district, forest officials said on Saturday.

The operation was carried out on the night of 11 September in Survey No. 30, Baggalumadu Section-4, Motnalli Beat, under the Yadgir Regional Forest Range. Acting on credible information, officials conducting a night patrol heard voices in the forest, investigated, and found seven men allegedly engaged in hunting.

The accused reportedly admitted to killing two peacocks, whose meat was recovered after being cooked at the spot. Officials also seized two live turtles, 12 live crabs, six country-made guns, gunpowder-related materials, two torches, an axe, a cooking pot, a steel plate, and seven mobile phones.

Yadgir Range Forest Officer Buranuddin said the accused, all daily-wage labourers from villages in Kalaburagi district's Chittapur taluk, were produced before a court for further investigation. They were identified as Ningappa, Vasudeva, Kareppa, Kantappa, Yallalinga, Basavaraj, and Mallappa.

Cases have been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Karnataka Forest Act, and the Arms Act. The operation was led by Buranuddin and Deputy Range Forest Officer Manjunath Handral.

The arrest comes a month after three Tamil-origin men died in an alleged forest department shooting during an anti-poaching operation in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on 15 August, which triggered an interstate political row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu leaders.