more-in Three foresters, including a Section Forest Officer attached to the Kakkayam forest station, were injured when they were attacked by poachers near the Kakkayam market in Kozhikode at around 4.30 a.m. on Tuesday. The police said T.C. Pramod Kumar, Section Forest Officer, N.K. Balakrishnan, Beat Forest Officer and K. Radhakrishnan, driver, were injured when they were trying to nab a three-member poaching gang, including a father-son duo, who were transporting wild buffalo meat in a car. The injured were taken to the Perambra Taluk Hospital, and later shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. Kozhikode Divisional Forest Officer K.K. Sunil Kumar told The Hindu that teams of foresters had been posted in different places to nab poachers following an intelligence input that a poaching team had killed a wild buffalo and was planning to sell the meat. The group had been reportedly engaged in illegal hunting in the forest for quite some time and selling the meat among locals, he said. He said the wildlife sleuths failed to overpower the poachers as they had weapons including daggers, chopping knives and iron rods. Following a scuffle, the poachers attacked the foresters with a knife. Later, a team of wildlife officials led by Thamarassery Ranger Officer seized 20 kg of meat and the car. “The accused are at large,” he said. Taken into custody The police took into custody a key accused for questioning in connection with the incident. However, she had to be admitted to a hospital after she felt uneasy. A protest march was held alleging that the woman was assaulted by the police, said a local resident. A case has been registered against the key accused, Marutholi Baby, 52 , at the Koorachunda police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. “The Department of Forests and Wildlife has also filed a case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Act,” said Mr. Sunil Kumar.

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