Two brothers arrested for allegedly shooting dead cheetah in Madhya Pradesh
The Special Task Force arrested the men after recovering a firearm used to kill a 19-month-old male cheetah.
The Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two brothers, Bhagwan Singh and Pritam Singh, for allegedly shooting a 19-month-old male cheetah. According to The Indian Express, the accused are residents of Morena district and were hunting near Nitanwas village in Sheopur district when the incident occurred.
Bhagwan Singh was arrested on October 31, and his interrogation led to the arrest of his brother, Pritam Singh. Bhagwan Singh told investigators that they used a licensed double-barrelled country firearm before fleeing the area. Investigators later recovered the weapon from a forest in Morena district.
The cheetah, identified as KNG-22, was found injured by a monitoring team on October 25 in the Morena forest division. After being moved to Kuno and then Jabalpur for medical care, the animal died on October 27. Surgeons recovered five pellets from the body, and a CT scan indicated damage to the animal's nervous, musculoskeletal, and internal systems.
The STF stated that its investigation has not found evidence connecting the killing to organised wildlife crime or illegal trade. A case has been registered against the brothers under the Wildlife Protection Act, and they are scheduled to appear before a court in Vijaypur on November 2.
The Madhya Pradesh government formed a four-member task force on October 27 to investigate the shooting. Additionally, a three-member team from the Union Environment Ministry, including officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, is examining the incident and security measures for cheetahs outside protected areas.