Black buck catch: Pataudi faces arrest

Former cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi tonight faced arrest, with the post-mortem conducted by Haryana police confirming that one of the carcasses found in his vehicle was of the endangered black buck.

The Haryana police has already arrested one person after registering an FIR against Pataudi and seven others travelling in the vehicle with the carcasses, a rifle, a gun and some live cartridges on Friday night near a wildlife sanctuary. The vehicle has also been impounded. The group was on a shooting trip in Birhor village in Jhajjar. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today dismissed allegations of pressure, saying the law would take its course.

Meanwhile, the carcass of the black buck lay at Delhi zoo, without being examined the whole of Monday. ‘‘We received a call from the Superintendent of Police in Haryana to not conduct a post-mortem on the animal as it had already been done by authorities in Haryana,’’ zoo vet Dr Paneerselvam said. The Haryana police took back the carcass at 5 pm.

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On Sunday evening, members of the People for Animals group got the carcass to Delhi Zoo to examine the body.

Pataudi and eight others have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act. —(With PTI)