The police on Wednesday night arrested a person for his alleged involvement in the killing of 11 blackbucks in agriculture fields at Narayanapuram in Adoni mandal of Kurnool district on March 6. The accused, identified as Ayub Khan, is believed to be a member of a poaching gang from Telangana.
He was produced before the court at Adoni and the judge remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and is punishable by up to three years in jail. Blackbuck is the State animal of Andhra Pradesh.
Even as a team of Forest Department led by District Forest Officer Suman Beniwal is investigating the poaching case, Kurnool Superintendent of Police Ch. Sudheer Kumar Reddy said that the Police Department would soon seek the custody of accused for further investigation.
Some locals are also suspected to have provided the poaching gang some logistical support. The gang members gave the police a slip after killing the blackbucks on March 6.
