Navi Mumbai: A father-son duo residing in Chembur were arrested by Murud police in Raigad on Saturday night for allegedly attempting to hunt wild animals in the forest area near Takka village, a tribal hamlet in Murud.The arrested accused have been identified as Crescent Lucus DeMello (59) and his son Graffil (23). An FIR was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which strictly prohibits the hunting of any wild animal specified in schedules I and II of the Act and outlines the penalties and punishments for breaking wildlife laws in India. The offence attracts punishment of imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, the police said.The accused duo had arrived in the forest area in an SUV which was waylaid by the police patrolling team for inquiry upon suspicion as it was spotted during odd hours at night around 8.30 pm, said police. The SUV was driven by Crescent, and his son Graffil was on the rear middle seat and holding a rifle. “When the vehicle was checked, we found another rifle, 104 live cartridges and animal meat-cutting tools. When questioned about carrying rifles, cartridges and a meat-cutting machine, the accused gave an unsatisfactory reply and were arrested. One weapon was an IOF company’s bolt-action single-barrel 30.06-bore rifle, and another was a Robust company’s double-barrel 12-bore rifle. The seizure, including the SUV, is collectively worth Rs 5.3 lakh,” said police.Meanwhile, in Jan 2023, a four-year-old leopard was killed after falling into a trap made of a metal ring that was set up by an unidentified poacher on land under private ownership in Bhalgaon village in the vicinity of the Murud forest area in Raigad.A Raigad forest official said that wild boar hunting in the Murud forest region of Raigad is strictly illegal. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, wild boars (Sus scrofa) are protected wildlife. The forest ecosystem in Murud falls within and adjacent to the Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, a heavily protected coastal woodland nature reserve where any form of hunting, trapping or poaching carries severe criminal penalties.
