Indore: 7 held with weapons in forest, claimed to be digging for gold

Indore's Forest Department arrested seven men in the Malendi Jungle found with a pistol and a sword. They claimed to be digging for ancestral treasure, but officials believe they were attempting to hunt wildlife and booked them under relevant acts.

Indore's Forest Department Team has arrested seven people on the account of entering the nearby forest with weapons on December 8. The accused explained that they were merely trying to dig out their ancestors' gold and treasure, claiming that it was buried in the jungle. The team inspected them and found they were carrying multiple weapons. That included a pistol, kartoos (cartridge for the gun), and a sword, which instantly made the forest department suspicious and booked them under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) of 1972 and the Indian Forest Act (IFA) of 1927, as stated by DFO Pradeep Mishra.

Officials Suspect Hunting Motive

When speaking to ANI, he maintained the stance that the story by the arrested individuals was not to be believed. Additionally, he stated they were likely there to hunt wildlife due to unlawful entry in the forest at night. "We received information from the patrolling team about seven people roaming the Malendi Jungle on 8 December, around 8:30 P.M. The team reached there swiftly and started questioning them. They were confused at first and then started making up a story about how they were there to dig out the gold left behind by their ancestors. On further inspection, we found katta, kartoos and talwaar, which makes us believe that they were attempting to hunt at night. We have released POs under the WFA and IFA Act for the same.", DFO Pradeep Mishra officially added. (ANI)

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