A Forest Department special team booked a three-member hunting gang from forest land near the Beenachi–Kenichira Road under the Irulam Forest Station limits in the Chethalath Forest Range of the South Wayanad Forest Division.

The forest officials seized country-made guns and bullets from the accused during the operation on Saturday night, the department said in a statement. The apprehended are Favas (32), Muhammed Salih (39) and Junaid (34), all residents of Kattippara near Thamarassery in Kozhikode.

The operation was led by Irulam Forest Station Section Officer M S Suresh, with Beat Forest Officers Vineesh Kumar N V and Jayesh P J, and forest watchers Devan Kattikkolly, Suresh Njattadi and Babu Cheeyambam as part of the team.

Chethalath Forest Range Officer M K Rajeevkumar said the accused were part of an organised network involved in hunting wild animals and selling fresh meat in Thamarassery and nearby areas. The gang allegedly hunted animals from forest regions in Amarad, Kakkayam and Wayanad.

According to a senior forest official who preferred anonymity, the accused smuggled the meat out of forest areas by concealing it inside vehicle bonnets and transporting it to various locations in Kozhikode. Each gang reportedly possessed several country-made guns and multiple vehicles, which were used alternately to evade detection.

“If one vehicle came under suspicion for movement through forest roads, another vehicle was used for subsequent trips,” the official said, adding that several vehicles flagged by the department were found to be registered in the name of a single individual. The movements of such suspects are currently under surveillance. The accused were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kalpetta on Sunday and were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.