Manipur: Man Arrested For Carrying Suspected Brow-Antlered Deer Meat

IMPHAL: On Thursday 31st March, the forest officials in Manipur arrested a meat vendor after he was found carrying illegal deer meat.

As per reports officials recovered 11 kilograms of deer meat from the man after he was searched on Thursday.

Most notably, the deer meat found is suspected to be of Sangai also called brow-antlered deer which is an endangered species of deer.

According to reports, the meat vendor was intercepted by the wildlife wing members of the forest department who recovered the venison from his possession.

He was caught at the main bridge in Sekmaijin, a village in Kakching Tehsil which is in the Thoubal district of Manipur.

The officials seized the suspected brow-antlered raw deer meat and arrested the accused meat vendor for carrying hog deer meat.

The accused man has been identified as Moulana Aslam Qasmi who is a resident of Komlakhong Mayai Leikai located in the Imphal West region.

Qasmi was later handed over to the Central Forest Division of Mantri Pukhri in the Imphal West of Manipur.

On Friday 1st April, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West announced five-day police custody for Qasmi till 5th April under relevant sections of the Wildlife Act.

Meanwhile, the forest department has started an investigation to find out more details about the suspected Sangai meat.

Officials informed that the department has sent the samples of the deer meat to the Wildlife Institute of India located in Dehradun for the examination of whether it is brow-antlered deer meat.

It may be mentioned that Sangai is an endemic and endangered subspecies of Eld's deer native to the northeastern state of Manipur.

As per reports, the population of the deer is found to be less than 300 in Keibul Lamjao National Park which is the natural habitat of deer located 60 kilometres from the capital city Imphal.

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