Mumbai Crime: One-year-old deer rescued from Virar bungalow

The rescued deer with the officials from the regional forest department. Picture by Hanif Patel

A forest officer of Mandvi division raided a bungalow in Virar on Thursday, from where they rescued a deer that was allegedly caged for last four months. Two people have been taken into the custody and booked under various sections of Wildlife Act by the officers.

The men arrested were identified as Prathamesh Oghe ( 25) and Rutesh Patil (26). According to the sources, the Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mandvi division, Namrata Pawar had rescued the one-year-old deer at around 4 pm from Hari Om bungalow situated in Kopari village in Virar East.

It was revealed that Patil found the deer near Tungareshwar after which instead of giving it to the forest he gave it to Oghe. Oghe did not inform the forest department and kept the deer in a cage at his bungalow.

"The RFO got this information from an informer and she raided the bungalow and rescued the deer," said Suraj Pandey, one of the rescuers.

A forest officer said that the two men will be produced before the court on Thursday.

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