The Forest department arrested a 50-year-old man on charge of hunting sambar deer in the Panathady reserve forest area in Kasaragod district on Thursday morning.
The arrested is M.H. Siddhique, a resident of Panathady panchayat.
During inspection, the Forest department team spotted three persons carrying sambar deer meat in sacks. While Siddhique was apprehended, the other two, identified as Noufal and Zubair, reportedly fled.
Forest officials recovered around 40 kg of sambar deer meat from Siddhique’s possession along with a gun and ammunition suspected to have been used for hunting. Efforts have been intensified to trace Noufal and Zubair.
Meanwhile, the department has decided to strengthen surveillance in the reserve forest in the coming days, including through use of drones to detect and prevent wildlife hunting.
Published – September 11, 2026 06:00 am IST
