11 arrested for hunting bats in Odisha's Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: Eleven people were arrested in Odisha's Cuttack district for allegedly hunting bats, officials said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Forest Department intercepted an auto-rickshaw near Khuntuni on Monday and found 796 dead bats and four live ones packed in two bags, they said.

Those travelling on the vehicle were arrested, they added.

"All the accused hail from Bhubaneswar. We have arrested them under the Wildlife Protection Act," said Chichilichi Biswal, the acting divisional forest officer (DFO) of Athgarh.

The bats were caught from an abandoned factory and some trees in Khuntuni, using nets, he said.