Tuesday, 20 June 2023 | PNS | DEHARDUN
Udham Singh Nagar police arrested nine accused on charges of poisoning over two dozen monkeys late on Sunday evening. The simians were discovered dead in a mango orchard at Bajpur Road of ITI area in Kashipur. The senior superintendent of police of Udham Singh Nagar Manjunath TC said that all accused held by the police were involved in the maintenance of the mango orchard which is spread over several acres of land.
“The police have registered a case against all nine accused under various acts including Wildlife Protection Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act among others for committing this heinous act. We are also looking into their criminal history and will also impose charges under Goonda Act accordingly. The accused were also presented in court on Monday,” said the SSP. He said that the police had taken possession of the bodies of monkeys soon after getting information on Sunday and sent them for post mortem examination .
The post mortem report confirmed poisoning and deliberate killing of the monkeys, said TC. The in-charge of ITI police station of the district Ashutosh Kumar told The Pioneer that the bodies were discovered when some locals came to the orchard to cut grass for their cattle and discovered a baby monkey clutching its deceased mother.
They also reportedly discovered several bodies of monkeys that had been buried in the field of the orchard. He said that the villagers called the police and alleged that the staff members had poisoned the monkeys in order to reportedly protect their mango harvest in the orchard from them. He said that it was revealed during the investigation that the monkeys were deliberately killed by adding poison in food after which, the police arrested nine accused late on Sunday. The orchard’s owner belongs to the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh but a staff of 15 people was managing the orchard who also hailed from UP, he said.
