A national-level shooting champion and his two close friends were arrested by the Sehore police late night on Sunday, for allegedly killing a deer and the national bird peacock, in Doraha forest area of the Sehore district, a senior police officer said here on Tuesday.
Identified as Saad Khan, who is a national level shooting champion, his friends Mohammad Ovais and Nisaat Khan together allegedly killed a deer and a peacock near Katpone village in Sehore district, Superintendent of Police Raman Singh told The Pioneer. Saad is the son of a reputed Bhopal-based hotel owner.
After allegedly killing the peacock and the deer, which was suspected to be a black buck, they dumped them in their jeep and were about to leave, when a group of villagers challenged them, the SP said. later, agitated villagers pelted stones and caught them after a scuffle and informed the police. Along with the force, the SP reached the village and pacified agitated villagers, after which they were brought to the Doraha police station.
Besides recovering the bodies of the peacock and the deer, the police also recovered two telescopic guns, 45 cartridges of .22 bore and 14 cartridges of .270 bore, he said. However, Saad Khan had permission to purchase 15,000 cartridges for practising shooting, the SP said.
The trio were produced before a court on Tuesday and they were sent to two days' police remand. A case under the Wildlife Act, Arms Act and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code were registered against them, he said.
However, the police have also registered a case against half a dozen villagers who pelted stones on the police team that reached the spot to arrest the hunters. Two police personals were reportedly injured during the stone pelting by the villagers who were demanding on the spot action against the accused.