Uttarakhand: 9 Arrested For Poisoning Monkeys Over Fear Of Damage To Fruits At A Mango Orchard
Upon inquiry by the cops, the accused individuals admitted they had to poison monkeys as they were worried about the damage the primates would cause to the fruits in the orchard.
After discovering over a dozen monkey carcasses in a mango orchard at Bazpur Road in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand, the police eventually arrested nine people for allegedly poisoning and killing the primates.
BCCL/Representational Image
The cops held seven persons involved in the upkeep of the orchard, doubting their involvement in the suspicious deaths of the primates, along with two orchard contractors on Monday.
All nine accused ¡ª identified as Jaan Muhammad and Imamuddin, the orchard contractors and their employees Chhote Khan, Imran, Afzal, Anwar, Iqrar Shah, Nadeem, and Mubarak ¡ª were found to be residents of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, and have been sent to jail on charges of poisoning, leading to the death of the monkeys, TOI reported.
Locals found baby monkey embracing its dead mother
The incident became public on Sunday when local residents reached the orchard to take grass for their animals and found a baby monkey embracing its dead mother, encircled by other dead simians.
BCCL/Representational Image
Subsequently, the police recovered the carcasses hidden in the orchard's bushes, some even buried in the ground.
Poisoning over fears of damage to mangoes
Upon inquiry by the cops, the accused individuals admitted they had to poison monkeys as they were worried about the damage the primates would cause to the fruits in the orchard.
BCCL/Representational Image
The accused individuals, who were booked under Section 295A (malicious intention of outraging religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Wildlife Protection Act, were taken to court and later sent to jail.
In a similar incident from May this year, about 40 monkeys were found dead under questionable circumstances in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district.
The villagers, who had reached the spot after receiving the information about the incident, spotted jaggery and watermelons kept near the places where monkeys were lying dead.
As per initial observation, it was presumed by the locals that the monkeys were poisoned to death. Thereafter, the police and the forest department launched an investigation into the matter.
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Kumar Debvrat is a copyeditor at Indiatimes. He writes about trending topics in India, from human-interest stories to cricket. He has a sharp eye for detail and a passion for storytelling.
