TIRUCHY: A forest guard suffered bullet injuries after a country-made gun dropped by a poacher went off in Boothakal village near Pachamalai in the wee hours of Saturday. Veerapandian, attached to Thuraiyur range, was admitted in MGMGH after first-aid was administered in Thuraiyur GH. Sources said the bullet lodged in his neck.
Veerapandian was on night patrol when the gun thrown down by a poacher went off on impact after hitting the ground. Five others in the patrol team escaped injury. “We first spotted the poacher with the help of his headlamp as he was trying to hunt in the forest range. As it would be easier for him to escape if we chased him into the forest, we decided to lie in wait near Boothakal village. After he spotted us on his return, he threw away his gun and started running.
As the loaded gun hit the ground, it went off,” said a forest official who was in the patrol team.
Police launched an operation to nab the poacher. “Even as the injured was being brought, information was passed to the police and they started an operation to nab the poacher,” said D Sujatha, District Forest Officer. Following the complaint, a police team led by Musiri DSP Senthil Kumar later nabbed S Muthukrishnan (26), a resident of Boothakal. He was remanded by police for illegal possession of a firearm and charged under Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the IPC and Section 25 (1b) (Illegal Possession of Arms) of the Indian Arms Act, 1959.