Rourkela, February 17 Five people were arrested in the Sundargarh district of Odisha for allegedly killing a wild boar as part of a ritual during Shivratri, officials said on Tuesday.
Around 80 kg of meat and the skin were seized from them.
Personnel from the Forest Department conducted a raid at a house in the Kansar village and seized a trap, meat-cutting equipment, and meat.
"Based on the confession of the homeowner, we arrested the other four involved in the hunting," said J Sethi, the divisional forest officer of Rourkela.
"We had information that every year on the day of Shivaratri, some villagers go hunting as a ritual. With the help of a trap camera installed in the forest, we were tracking them," he said.
The accused persons have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, he added.