Coimbatore: Six poachers arrested with four country-made guns

COIMBATORE: The forest department on Monday arrested six poachers near Anaikatti for possessing country-made guns without licence. The poachers were later handed over to the Thadagam police.
The arrested were identified as L Sadaiyan, 53, of Dhoomanur, K Ponnusamy, 75, C Marudhan, 65, and S Murugan 37, of Alamaramedu, C Rangasamy, 57, of Kandivali, and K Nanjappan, 33, of Jambukandi near Anaikatti.
During their routine patrol on Anaikatti Road on early Monday morning, forest guards spotted the six men riding in two-wheelers. When the poachers saw the forest guards, they tried to flee the spot. However, forest guards nabbed them. On interrogation, forest guards found four country-made guns in their possession.
The poachers were booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and handed over to the Thadagam police.
The Thadagam police seized the guns from the poachers.
Sources in the forest department said the men were not seen in possession of meat or carcasses. “They must have been looking for animals to hunt,” said the source. The area has animals such as hares and pigs. “They mainly poach these animals for meat,” said the source.
Last year, forest officials arrested a man from P N Pudur for poaching deer in Narasipuram forest.
Police are also inquiring whether the arrested men have any links with Maoists in the wake of recent gunning down of three CPI(Maoist) members in Attapadi in Palakkad earlier this week.