India: A 47-year-old man was caught trying to poach spotted deer and wild rabbits in the Mettur reserve forest on Friday. He was, however, let off with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
According to forest officials attached to the Mettur forest range, they found G Manickam, of Nattamangalam near Mettur, enter the reserve forest on Wednesday evening when they were on patrol.

 When the forest officials surrounded Manickam, he attempted to flee. However, the officials managed to nab him after a brief chase and seized from him a country made gun and gun powder.

During inquiry, Manickam told them that he hadn’t poached any wild animal. But he confessed that he entered the forest to poach spotted deer and wild rabbits, said a forest official, who didn’t want to be named.

Based on his confessional statement, the forest officials registered a case against Manickam and imposed on him a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Manickam was released after paying the fine.

“We had been for some time monitoring certain areas from where poachers enter the forest boundaries,” the official said.

(Source: The Times of India)