Jammu, Feb 19 (PTI) A government school teacher was arrested on charges of poaching and carcass of a female Himalayan Monal, a rainbow-coloured bird locally named as Haam, was seized in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri on Saturday, officials of the wildlife department said.

Mukhtar Ahmad was arrested near Panar bridge on Mughal Road, that falls under the jurisdiction of Tatakutti Wildlife Sanctuary, while his three associates managed to escape, the officials said.

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A team headed by Surankote control room in charge Mohammad Yaqoob intercepted Ahmad's car based on specific inputs. Efforts are on to nab the three men who escaped, the officials said.

The carcass of the bird which is native to the Himalayas, about 2.5 kg meat, a 12-bore gun barrel, three live cartridges and an empty cartridge of a 12-bore gun were seized, they said.

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The officials said they have secured Ahmad's custody till February 24 for further investigation.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)