Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Four Men Sentenced for Betul Bear Hunting, Witchcraft Body Parts
A court in Betul found four men guilty of killing a bear.
The bear was discovered dead in a forest drain in 2018.
One of its paws had been cut off, and nails were missing from the other paw.
Forest officials said the men used electricity to kill the animal.
They also said the body parts were taken for witchcraft.
The court gave each man three years in prison.
Each man must also pay a fine of Rs 10,000.
Another person accused in the case is still missing, so the court has not ruled on his case.
A Betul court sentenced four men to three years of rigorous imprisonment each.
Each convict was also fined Rs 10,000 for hunting the bear and possessing its body parts.
The bear was found dead on December 14, 2018, with one paw severed and nails missing from the other.
Forest officials said the men killed the bear by passing electricity through wire placed in a forest drain.
A fifth accused remains absconding, so no judgment has been issued against him.
- Who
- Four men identified as Pritish, Ramen alias Chunky, Rahul and Vasu were convicted; co-accused Kalu alias Subhash remains absconding.
- What
- A Betul court convicted the four men of hunting a bear and possessing its body parts, sentencing each to three years' rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 10,000 fine.
- When
- The bear was found on December 14, 2018; the sentencing was reported on Wednesday, without a specific date.
- Where
- The bear was found in a drain near the boundary of Hirapur beat, under Forest Range Sarni (General), in Betul, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- According to forest officials, the men killed the bear using an electrically charged wire and took its paw and nails for use in witchcraft.
- Court
- Judicial Magistrate First Class Suresh Yadav's court in Betul
- Sentence
- Three years' rigorous imprisonment for each of the four convicts
- Fine
- Rs 10,000 imposed on each convict
- Incident date
- December 14, 2018
- Cause of death
- Electrocution, according to forest officials
- Animal remains
- One paw was severed and nails were missing from the other paw
- Absconding accused
- Kalu alias Subhash; no judgment has been delivered against him