Wed Oct 15 15:23:27 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Hunters Using Sophisticated Firearms, Hounds to Poach Deer in Tamil Nadu, Forest Officials Concerned**
**Tenkasi, October 15, 2025** – Tamil Nadu forest officials are cracking down on a surge in poaching activity, uncovering evidence of hunters using sophisticated firearms and hounds to illegally hunt wild animals, particularly spotted deer, in reserve forests near Alangulam and other areas.
The crackdown follows the arrest of a group of hunters who had poached a spotted deer near Alangulam. Investigations revealed that the hunters were using firearms, purchased from a Dindigul-based trader and allegedly modified by specialists in Coimbatore to make them more lethal. A member of the ruling DMK party is suspected of being involved, and has gone underground after the start of the investigation.
“After buying these weapons from the Dindigul trader, the hunters had fine-tuned it further to make it more lethal with the help of highly skilled people from Coimbatore district, who can do this work with hi-tech machines being used for making high precision machinery parts,” said a senior forest official.
District Forest Officer, Tenkasi, Rajmohan has issued a public appeal urging residents to report any information regarding the use of firearms in hunting, particularly during weekends and festivals. The appeal targeted wealthy families, businessmen, and politicians who are suspected of participating in these activities.
The article goes on to explain the hunters, after purchasing firearms, were modifying them using hi-tech machines in Coimbatore.
Another incident involved the arrest of a group at a farmhouse near Kadambur in Thoothukudi district, where they were found partying with venison. The investigation revealed they had used both hounds and firearms to hunt a spotted deer for the occasion.
Forest officials are also investigating the smuggling and assembly of rifle parts, with imported and locally-made components being brought in separately and assembled using instructional videos.
Assistant Conservator of Forest, Nellainayagam, has reiterated the call for public assistance, promising to protect the identity of informers and offer cash rewards for information leading to arrests. The public can contact the forest personnel at 04633 – 233550.
The escalating use of sophisticated weaponry and the organized nature of these poaching operations are raising concerns among conservationists, who fear for the future of vulnerable wildlife populations in the region.
First Piper 