Poachers fined Rs 1.8L for selling wild boar meat

Madurai: Forest department personnel arrested a gang and slapped a fine of Rs 1.8 lakh on them for poaching, consuming and selling meat of wild boars.

The accused poached the wild boars in the buffer zone outside the forest areas of the Kadayam Range in Ambasamudram division of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli district.

The accused were arrested based on a tip-off. Kadayam range officer C Nellai Nayagam said that they picked up a couple of people from the gang and inquiries led to the arrest of nine people. They were booked under sections of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, after they reportedly confessed the crime.

A compounded fine of Rs 1.8 lakh at Rs 20,000 per person was slapped on them, following which they were released.