Three people allegedly killed a mouse deer (Tragulus meminna), a protected animal under law, with a gunshot near Attihalli in Sakleshpur taluk on February 28 morning. The Forest Department arrested them while they were chopping the meat at a house belonging to one of the accused in Attihalli.
The arrested persons are S.K. Dharme Gowda of Attihalli, A.S. Subrahmanya of Yachinamane and B.R. Sureh of Bettadamane. The accused shot the animal in the forest near Attihalli. The animal, mouse deer, has been listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is an endangered species. Yeslur Range Forest Officer V.S. Mohan and his team seized a gun, a knife and 9.5 kg of meat of the animal from the accused.
The accused were presented before a judicial magistrate in Sakleshpur, who remanded them to six days of judicial custody.
If convicted, they could be imprisoned for three years or slapped with a penalty of ₹25,000, or both.
