Three arrested for killing a leopard in Salem

Three people, including a Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) official, were arrested on Tuesday on charges of killing a four-year-old leopard in Salem.

Residents of Chinnapatti, Pudhuvelamangalam, Karunkaradu and Vellaikarattur villages protested after a leopard entered the villages and attacked livestock. The forest department set up cages to trap the carnivore.

Meanwhile, the leopard was found dead near Chinnapatti forests in Kolathur on September 27. The carcass was cremated in the forest area after an autopsy. The vets found that the seriously injured leopard was shot with a country-made weapon.

Following the investigation, the forest department on Tuesday arrested PMK functionary and former Chinnapatti Panchayat president A. Munusamy (50), A. Sasikumar (40), a resident of Poothapadi, and N. Raja (45), a resident of Periyakottai.

Investigation revealed that the three had allegedly shot the leopard near the forest using a country-made weapon. They had also attacked the animal with a log while it was fighting for its life. The department also seized a country-made weapon from the accused. On Tuesday evening, the three arrested persons were produced before the Mettur court and remanded to judicial custody.