Pune: The Forest Department arrested five individuals involved in the illegal hunting and transport of wild boar meat near Talegaon Dabhade, on the old Pune-Mumbai highway.

The incident unfolded when the Vadgaon Maval Forest Department received a tip-off about a group transporting wild boar meat in a car. Acting swiftly, the department conducted a raid and apprehended the suspects.

The team also seized a substantial quantity of wild boar meat along with the vehicle, with the total value of the confiscated items amounting to approximately six lakh rupees.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Maruti Shitole and Satyawan Bhoir, both hailing from Kasarsai in Mulshi, and Datta Waghmare, Sanjay Waghmare, and Sitaram Jadhav, all residents of Kade Maval.

The group was allegedly involved in hunting wild boar, which is a protected species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

According to the Forest Department, the accused were caught near New English School on the old Pune-Mumbai highway, where they were attempting to transport the illegally obtained meat.

The Vadgaon Maval Forest Department quickly acted on the intelligence and set up a raid that led to the successful capture of the suspects. The operation was led by Range Forest Officer S.D. Vark, with additional support from Circle Forest Officer Mallinath Hiremth and a team of forest guards.

The raid team included Forest Guards Devle, Daya Dome, Parmeshwar Kasule, Yogesh Kokate, SK More, Krishna Dethe, and Deepak Ubale, along with Forest Attendant Jambhulkar. 

Under the supervision of Chief Conservator of Forests N.R. Praveen, Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahadev Mohite, and Assistant Conservator of Forests Atul Jain, the team managed to prevent further transportation of the meat.