Following the arrest of a man in Sangli for using his pet dog to hunt small wild animals, the Maharashtra Forest Department has apprehended three more individuals linked to the case. One of the newly arrested suspects also used a hound breed dog, named Rani, for hunting. Officials are now probing whether a larger network is involved in using hunting dogs to target species such as monitor lizards, hares, and jackals.

mid-day had earlier reported on the arrest of Umaji Jagannath Malme, a resident of Dudhi Bavi village in Kavathe Mahankal taluka, for allegedly training his Mudhol hound, Babya, to hunt small and medium-sized wild animals. Malme reportedly filmed his dog’s hunting activities near forested areas and grasslands, sharing the footage on Instagram under the handle babya_king_302.