Team Herald
VALPOI: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Sattari on Tuesday acquitted the five persons accused of killing a tiger at Keri-Sattari in 2009.
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The JMFC cited that the Forest Department failed to produce substantial evidence in the said case.
The five acquitted in the case are Ganesh Majik, Nagesh Majik, Suryakant Majik, Ankush Majik, and Bhiva Gawas. The accused have been acquitted by the court after 13 years.
It may be recalled that the matter came to light after a video of the incident went viral, and soon became an international issue.
According to sources, the locals had ventured into the jungle to hunt a wild boar and had accordingly laid a trap. Unfortunately, a tiger got trapped in the snare. A few days later, when locals went to fetch their catch, they discovered a tiger in the trap, which was found dead. A video of the incident went viral.
The locals allegedly burnt the trap along with the dead tiger, leaving behind the big cat’s skeleton. The bones were sent to Hyderabad for forensic tests. The report exposed the killing and burning of a big cat.
After the report of the incident was published in the local newspaper, the State government pursued the matter seriously and ordered an inquiry into the tiger’s killing.
