Forest squad arrests one more in monkey poaching case

India: A Forest squad from Thamarassery range has arrested one more person accused of hunting an endangered species of monkeys from the Athikkode forest region. The arrest of Shinoj Sadanadan, a native of Kakkayam, was confirmed on Thursday. The youth was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by the Thamarassery Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II.

According to Forest department officials, Shinoj was part of a nine-member gang that recently hunted Presbytus Johnii- a protected monkey species- for its meat.

Nidheesh Saserry, one of the main hunters, had already been arrested by the squad when he was on the way back home after the hunting with the other team members.

For more than a week, the search had been on to detain the team members, who managed to escape from the enforcement squad.

According to Forest Department officials, the seven accused in the case were absconding after the incident.

It was on December 29, 2015, that the Forest squad detained one of the hunters during their secret operation. Though eight of the team members escaped from the spot, the Forest squad overpowered one of the key members in the gang besides seizing two-country made guns and around 10 kilogram of meat. As per the investigation, the poachers’ gang had killed around seven monkeys for using its meat to prepare a traditional medicine.

 (Source: The Hindu)