3 villagers arrested in MP’s Narmadapuram district for killing tiger

BHOPAL: Three men have been arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district in connection with the recent death of a tiger, state forest department officials said on Monday.

The three residents of Banspani village have allegedly told the police that they had laid a trap for wild boars but the tiger walked into it about a week ago, killing it by electrocution. The three, identified by the police as Kailash Korku, Pinta and Ram Ratan, have, however, insisted that they weren’t the ones who removed the tiger’s claws, canines, and tail.

Narmadapuram chief conservator forest (CCF) Ashok Kumar said the forest team found a carcass of tiger in the forest of Banpura range in Narmadapuram, a corridor between Satpura and Ratapani Tiger Reserve. “The forest team detained three accused and they confessed the crime. The accused laid live electric wire to hunt a wild boar but accidentally, a tiger was killed,” Kumar said.

The villagers said they hid the carcass behind some bushes a week ago.

“They refused to have any involvement in removing the body parts. In the raids at their houses, the forest team didn’t find anything. The interrogation is going on as some more people might be involved in it,” said he added.

All the three accused have been produced before the court in Seoni Malwa on Monday.