Forest officials arrest two persons for poaching

The Forest Department has apprehended two individuals for poaching wildlife using homemade explosives in Singarapettai Reserve Forest, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Tirupattur forest range on Tuesday. Upon seizing two homemade guns, explosives, nets, torchlights, and batteries from the pair, officials identified them as S. Sankar, aged 37, and his associate G. Venu, 55.

Both are tribal residents of the Jawadhu Hills, where they typically engage in farming. According to initial reports, a six-member forest team discovered the duo in the forest around 4 a.m. with a bag of explosives during a routine patrol. The pair had crafted the homemade explosives themselves and also acquired some from neighboring Kerala through acquaintances, for the purpose of hunting small wild animals.

Forest officials revealed that the duo routinely hunted in Reserve Forests in the region, selling the meat of wild animals to supplement their income derived from labor work such as driving and masonry. A case has been filed under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and they have been taken into custody at the sub-jail in Tirupattur town. An investigation is currently underway.