Bhubaneswar: Forest officials in Similipal seized a handmade gun loaded with cycle balls used as bullets from an alleged poacher during a night patrol inside the wildlife sanctuary on Tuesday, the forest department said on Thursday.Forest officials said the use of cycle balls — normally used as bearings in bicycles — as ammunition reflects the increasing ingenuity of poachers in assembling low-cost yet lethal weapons to evade law enforcement while hunting animals illegally.The accused, Bhagabat Marndi from Asanbani village under Kuliana police station in Mayurbhanj district, was nabbed on April 14 during patrolling by staff of Pithabata North wildlife range under Similipal South wildlife division.Officials said the patrol team heard a gunshot and noticed a suspicious light source inside the forest around 7 pm near Balidiha. During the search, the team recovered a handmade firearm, along with 14 cycle balls, 12 lead balls, black and white gunpowder, a torch and a plastic bag from Marndi.Investigators said the cycle balls were intended to function as pellets when fired from the country-made gun, a technique increasingly observed in wildlife crime due to the easy availability of such materials. “Cycle balls cause significant injury when fired at close range and are often used as substitutes for regular bullets by poachers,” an official said.The team also seized the carcass of an Indian hare weighing around 1.5 kg. Forest officials booked the accused under multiple sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, amended up to 2022, and produced him in court. Investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused was involved in similar hunting incidents earlier, they said.
