Nizamabad: Five held for hunting, skinning Black Nape Hare

On receipt of reliable information, the officials raided a rice mill in the early hours at Jokora village near Varni in Nizamabad district and intercepted a poaching gang headed by Affendi

Hyderabad: The Vigilance and Anti-poaching officials of the Forest Department on Sunday arrested five persons including a habitual hunter Luqman Affendi and seized a black-naped hare which was hunted and skinned.

On receipt of reliable information, the officials raided a rice mill in the early hours at Jokora village near Varni in Nizamabad district and intercepted a poaching gang headed by Affendi.

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After searching the premises thoroughly, the officials found a hare they had hunted and skinned. They also found two rifles with a telescope and silencers, search lights, binoculars, knives and torch lights.

After being grilled, Affendi stated that he had gone for hunting to nearby forest areas and farmlands to hunt black bucks, but could not find any. He hunted the hare which he came across.

The foresters simultaneously conducted raid on the house of Affendi at Gudimalkapur in Mehdipatnam and found meat in deep freeze packed in plastic bags. They also found two rifle butts. Officials, who seized these articles, said the meat samples would be sent to CCMB here for identification of the animal.

A Tata Safari vehicle used in hunting was also seized along with the rifles and other equipment used in hunting from the accused. The hunted hare was also seized.

According to officials, Affendi, who used to invite his friends from Hyderabad to provide wildlife meat, on Friday night, along with his associates, went for poaching of wildlife but his efforts turned futile.

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, he along with his associates went for hunting to nearby forest areas. On credible information provided by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) vigilance, wildlife wing, with the help of police department, a team headed by the District Forest Officer (DFO) proceeded to Jakora on Saturday morning and reached to Nizamabad at 10.30pm.

The team then started tracing the five poachers and in the process raided Affendi’s Binny rice mill at Jakora and found one carcass of freshly hunted hare along with two weapons including night vision binaculars, ammunition and search lights.

Apart from Affendi, the officials nabbed his brother Imran Affendi, Shaik Raj Ahmed, who looks after the rice mill affairs, and two other workers Mohammed Jameel and Mohammed Shahrukh.

The officials said information on wildlife poaching cases of this nature can be passed on to Forest Department on toll-free helpline 18004255364 for immediate response.

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