Cuttack: As many as eleven people were arrested in Odisha’s Cuttack district for allegedly hunting a large number of bats.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Forest Department intercepted an auto-rickshaw near Khuntuni on Monday and found 796 dead bats and four live ones packed in two bags, officials said.
Those travelling on the vehicle were arrested for violation of the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.
“All the accused hail from Bhubaneswar. We have arrested them under the Wildlife Protection Act,” said Chichilichi Biswal, acting divisional forest officer (DFO) of Athgarh.
Preliminary investigation showed that the bats were caught from an abandoned factory and some trees in Khuntuni, using nets, he said. Further investigation is underway.
