Wildlife officers from the Kukulkatuwa Beettu office in the Wilpattu National Park have arrested two suspects involved in an illegal racket supplying wild game meat to hotels and households in the Nochchiyagama area.
The officers, acting on prior information, launched a special operation yesterday (29) to apprehend the smugglers. They monitored the suspects as they set out for hunting with firearms and arrested them after a brief pursuit.
The suspects, aged 45 and 28, are residents of the Atellawa area under the Nochchiyagama Divisional Secretariat. Investigations revealed that they had been supplying game meat to local hotels for some time.
An illegal 12-bore firearm was seized during the operation. The suspects and case materials were produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court, where they were fined Rs. 20,000 each.
