In a significant crackdown on illegal wildlife activity, the forest department in Farrukhabad apprehended six individuals for the alleged hunting of two nilgais. The incident occurred in Rohilla village under the Mohammadabad police station area late on Saturday night.
The Raid and Arrests
Farrukhabad's Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rajiv Kumar, received specific intelligence about an ongoing hunt in Rohilla village. Acting swiftly, he dispatched a team led by Forest Range Officer Anoop Kumar. The team, which also included forest inspectors Tabish Ahmad, Amit Kumar, and Rahul Saxena, reached the spot and managed to surround the hunters.
The accused attempted to flee and hid in a nearby mustard field, but a thorough search operation led to their capture. All six were taken into custody from the scene.
Recoveries and Accused Details
A substantial cache of items was recovered from the arrested individuals. The seized materials included:
- One gun
- Five mobile phones
- A knife
- A loader
- Two motorcycles
The two slain nilgais were also recovered from the location. According to the forest department, the accused had already skinned the animals and were preparing to hunt a third nilgai when the raid was conducted.
Five of the six accused are residents of Firozabad district. They have been identified as Asif (from Ramgarh), Imamuddin Ali, Abdul, and Shahbaz (all from Kohinoor Road), and Aryan (from the Mohammadabad police station area). The sixth accused, Shiv, is a resident of Dudauli. Officials stated that Aryan had called and organized the hunting party, and none of them possessed any valid permit for hunting.
Legal Action and Aftermath
Cases have been registered against all the arrested persons under relevant sections of the stringent Wildlife Protection Act. The accused were subsequently taken for a medical examination at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Range Officer Anoop Kumar revealed that the accused have a prior history of organizing such illegal hunting parties. Following a post-mortem, the carcasses of the two nilgais were buried in a pit as per procedure.
This arrest highlights the ongoing efforts by the Uttar Pradesh forest department to curb poaching and protect wildlife, especially species like the nilgai, which is protected under Indian law.
