nFour persons were arrested on charges of killing a leopard in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district, a Forest Department officer said on Wednesday.
A Forest Department team found the carcass of the leopard on Tuesday in the forests of Kotba in the Pathalgaon Forest Circle, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Arun Pandey said.
Some vital organs of the leopard were missing. Prime-facie it looked like a case of poaching, Pandey said.
“An investigation was ordered wherein it was found that the animal was electrocuted by a live wire laid in the forest. Further investigation revealed that four villagers of Patratoli village were involved in the killing,” Pandey said.
On Wednesday morning, the Forest Department arrested the four -- Keshar, Gokul, Chandan and Hemasagar -- from Patratoli village.
The accused admitted their involvement in the crime, the officer said, adding that they had laid the electric wire to hunt a wild hog but the leopard got electrocuted.
All of them have been charged with violating the Wildlife Protection Act.
