Hyderabad: Forest officials in Telangana have arrested a man for selling the meat of a crocodile after killing the animal. The arrest was made in the Mulugu district, which was affected by recent floods. Poachers caught a crocodile which had ventured onto the banks of the Godavari River during the floods. They killed the animal and were selling its meat.
On receipt of the information, police conducted a raid at Chandrupatla village in Wajedu Mandal on Monday. While one person was caught, others managed to escape. The officials seized the meat and body parts of the crocodile. A Forest official said they have taken up the investigation and are on the lookout for other poachers. Due to incessant rains and floods, several crocodiles had ventured on the banks of the Godavari and Krishna rivers.
Also read: Boy loses arm in crocodile attack; condition critical
An increasing number of crocodiles are said to be hitting the shore for basking under the sun. They were found venturing into agricultural fields, ponds and other water bodies, worrying the residents. The crocodiles were spotted in areas abutting the rivers in some villages in Wanaparthy, Gadwal, Narayanpet and Mulugu districts.
In June, local people caught a crocodile from a river and killed the animal in Bihar's Vaishali. Someone had also filmed the incident. In the video, the merciless act of people beating the alligator is seen. After this, the officials of the Forest Department started investigating the matter pertaining to the killing of the giant reptile.
The case is of the Rustampur police station area in the Vaishali district. A 14-year-old boy from Gariban Toli had gone to bathe in the river. During this, he was caught and injured by a crocodile, due to which he died. Enraged by this incident, people hunted and brought the crocodile out of the river and beat it to death with sticks. (Agencies)
