A man has been fined Rs. 310,000 by the Kahatagasdigiliya Magistrate’s Court for setting up a trap gun allegedly intended to injure or kill a wild elephant and possessing the firearm without a licence, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The suspect was arrested on October 24 by a team of wildlife officers led by M.A.K.S. Dissanayake, Wildlife Site Assistant at the Kahatagasdigiliya Wildlife Beat Office, during a patrol along the boundary of the Kokebe Forest Reserve in the Kahatagasdigiliya Divisional Secretariat Division.
Officers discovered the trap gun set up on the boundary of private land, the department said.
The suspect and the seized firearm were produced before the Kahatagasdigiliya Magistrate’s Court on October 25. Charges were filed on October 30, following which the magistrate imposed a fine of Rs. 310,000.
The Department of Wildlife Conservation said patrols would continue in the Kahatagasdigiliya wildlife beat area to detect and prevent wildlife-related offences. (Newswire)