Two men were arrested by forest officials for poaching in the Ponnaiyar Reserve Forest (RF) at Sathanur dam, near Tiruvannamalai, on Friday.
When a five-member team led by R. Srinivasan, Forest Range Officer (Sathanur range), was on patrol in the Ponnaiyar RF on Friday around 12:30 a.m., it found B. Pandian, 37, a resident of Thanipadi village, and his accomplice K. Rajesh, 42, a resident of Kolamanjanur village, riding on a two-wheeler with a country-made gun deep inside the prohibited area.
Once they saw the team’s jeep, they tried to flee. However, the team managed to nab them. The officials seized the gun and two-wheeler and some explosives, nets, mobile phones, torch lights and batteries from them.
Initial inquiries revealed that Pandian worked as daily wage labourer in his village. As the income from his job was not adequate, forest officials said he and Rajesh had been visiting the RF to hunt wild animals to sell their meat and hides. Pandian had procured equipment for hunting from Kerala through some contacts. A case has been registered under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Pandian was sent to 14-day judicial custody and lodged in the Tiruvannamalai sub-jail.
The Ponnaiyar RF is known for having a large number of spotted deer, wild boar, peacocks and rabbits as it is a part of Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai district.
