Navi Mumbai: Raigad cops apprehended a 49-year-old male for apparently searching a’barking deer ‘( Indian Munjtac), a types secured under the Wildlife Protection Act and have actually taken 1 kg meat of the animal from his home.Performing on a tip-off, an authorities group from Alibaug and Mandwa seaside police headquarters robbed the implicated’s home in Vadgaon, Alibag taluka on Thursday late night. Throughout your home search, 1 kg of barking deer meat was discovered inside the fridge. The Alibaug forest department authorities, summoned by the cops, verified the meat was from a barking deer.API Sarita Musale of Alibaug police headquarters, who became part of the raid, stated, “The arrested accused has been identified as Jayendra Bhagat.
As the barking deer is a protected species in India under Schedule-3 of the Wildlife Protection Act, and hunting, poaching, and selling their meat are illegal, the accused Bhagat has been booked under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act. An informer tipped off that Bhagat hunted a barking deer in Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary on the border of Roha and Murud taluka and kept the animal’s meat at his house.
Accordingly, his house was raided, and 1 kg of meat was recovered from the refrigerator.
However, the accused Bhagat claimed that he did not hunt the animal and that the meat was given to him by an adivasi man. We have handed over the seized animal’s meat and the accused Bhagat to the Range Forest Officer, Alibaug, who will be probing further.”
PI Somnath Lande of Mandwa police headquarters stated, “As the accused Bhagat confirmed that the meat was of barking deer but claimed that he was given the meat by an adivasi man identified as Navnath Waghmare, we detained Waghmare for inquiry, but he denied Bhagat’s claims.”API Musale stated, “Previously, two offences were registered at Alibaug police station against the accused Bhagat. In 2022, he was booked under the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, which prohibits specific actions and assemblies to prevent public disorder and disobey lawful orders. In 2023, Bhagat was booked under IPC sections for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, criminal intimidation, and common intention.
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