Thirteen poachers arrested in two Leopard killing cases in Telangana

Police have arrested 13 persons in connection with two separate leopard killing cases in Nizamabad district. Investigators seized nine country-made rifles and uncovered a case in which a leopard was allegedly poisoned after pesticide was injected into a goat carcass

Nizamabad: Police have arrested 13 persons in connection with two separate leopard killing cases in Nizamabad district. Nine country-made rifles were seized during the operation, while four more suspects are absconding.

Nizamabad Commissioner of Police P Sai Chaitanya said on Thursday that police apprehended a group of individuals moving suspiciously in the forest area on the outskirts of Devakkapet village under Bheemgal police station limits. During the search, officers recovered nine country-made rifles from their possession. As the weapons were unlicensed, they were seized and a case was registered.

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The arrested persons, along with Akunoor Raju, who allegedly repaired the firearms, were produced before a court and remanded. During preliminary interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to using the weapons to hunt wild animals. They also admitted that they were attempting to conceal the firearms in the forest due to intensified police and Forest Department checks following the recent death of a leopard in the Devakkapet forest area.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bhukya Raghupathi, Karla Anjaiah, Mudavath Tirupathi, Bhukya Chandar, Murri Ganga Narsaiah, Animeni Limbadri, Malavath Kumbha, Banavath, Malavath Dhari Singh and Akunoor Raju.

Leopard killed by injecting pesticide into a goat carcass

In another case, which occurred about a month ago, Malavath Sanjeev of Tallapally village in Bheemgal mandal lost a goat in a leopard attack. Police said Ramulu, a resident of Devakkapet in Rajanna Sircilla district, suggested poisoning the carcass so that the leopard could be killed and its body parts sold for profit. The accused allegedly injected pesticide into the dead goat, which the leopard later consumed and died. They then allegedly concealed the carcass while waiting to sell its body parts.

Forest officials uncovered the plot during the investigation. A search of Ramulu’s residence led to the recovery of a country-made firearm. Sanjeev and Ramulu later allegedly confessed to the crime and were taken into custody.