Kozhikode: Forest officials arrested two of a six-member gang of poachers with unlicensed country-made guns while allegedly hunting sambar deer in the Vendekkumpoyil forest area of Kakkadampoyil, located along the Malappuram–Kozhikode border, on Monday.

The accused, Mohammed Ali and Hamsa, both residents of Vengad near Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district, were apprehended by officials from the Kodumpuzha forest station under the Edavanna Forest Range. They also seized daggers, ammunition (referred to locally as thira), torches, and other hunting equipment from the duo.

The duo was arrested during a routine forest patrol in Vendekkumpoyil, an area known to be frequented by wild elephants. Forest officials said they were alerted by the sound of gunshots and launched a search operation, during which they found the suspects in possession of firearms, knives, and related gear.

According to a statement from the Kodumpuzha station, the arrested men revealed that they were part of a six-member group that had entered the forest in an Innova car from Vengad. "They confessed to us that they were targeting sambar deer. Although they shot one, they couldn't retrieve it," Section Forest Officer C Dhijil told Onmanorama. He added that efforts are underway to locate the four members of the gang who have absconded.

Dhijil also said the duo had a prior case registered against them in 2012 for poaching in the Mannarkkad forest range. The accused were remanded to judicial custody by the Manjeri Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II (Forest Offences), and the seized weapons and equipment have been handed over to the police.

The investigation is being led by Edavanna Range Forest Officer P Saleem, with Beat Forest Officers M P Muneerudheen, Arun Prasad, Akash Chandran and V Ajay.