A leopard was allegedly beaten to death after it injured a person, and the wild animal's carcass was then dumped in a river and later taken out and burnt, a forest official said today.
A farm labourer, Bhagwan Mala, has been detained in this connection, he said while describing the incident as "shocking".
On Thursday, Mala sustained a minor injury when the feline attacked him while he was working at his field in Chikhli village under Una tehsil of Gir-Somnath district.
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However, after they learnt that other villagers and forest officials had apparently got a whiff of the incident, the men took out the animal's carcass from the river and burnt it after sprinkling petrol over it on Friday, in a bid to destroy evidence of the offence.
"We detained Bhagwan Mala last night and are on the look out of 5-7 other persons also allegedly involved in the incident," the official, who is a member of the team investigating the matter, told PTI over phone.
He said the forest department will register a case with police in this regard under relevant provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
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