Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Six Held After Sambar Deer Poached Near Nilgiris' Kotagiri
Forest officials arrested six people near Kotagiri.
They are accused of killing a sambar deer, which is a type of wild deer.
Three suspects came from the Karamadai area, and three were from a nearby hamlet.
Officials found a homemade gun, a knife and the deer's skin.
The report says the group may have planned to take the deer meat.
Wildlife activists want officials to check whether the group had done this before.
They also want more patrols in remote parts of the forest.
The case is being investigated.
Forest officials arrested six people for allegedly poaching a sambar deer near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris.
Three suspects were from Karamadai in Coimbatore district, while three were from a hamlet near Kattabettu.
Officials seized a country-made gun, a knife and the deer's skin after questioning the suspects.
The group is alleged to have worked together to kill sambar deer for their meat.
Wildlife activists called for a detailed investigation and stronger patrolling around remote forest areas.
- Who
- Six people—Velu, Soorya, Manikkam, Senthilkumar, Viswanathan and Chinnadurai—were arrested by forest officials.
- What
- They were arrested for allegedly poaching a sambar deer.
- When
- The poaching was reported to have occurred on Monday.
- Where
- The incident took place in Kotagiri limits in the Nilgiris, near the Kattabettu forest range.
- Why
- The group was alleged to have killed the deer to obtain its meat, potentially for personal use or sale.
- Arrests
- Six people were arrested.
- Animal
- A sambar deer was allegedly killed.
- Suspect locations
- Three suspects were from Karamadai in Coimbatore district, and three were from a hamlet near Kattabettu.
- Seized items
- A country-made gun, a knife and the deer's skin were seized.
- Forest authority
- The arrests were made by officials from the Kattabettu forest range in the Nilgiris forest division.
- Activists' request
- Wildlife and green activists called for a detailed investigation and increased forest patrolling.