Poachers held in Sireen

Wildlife inspectors, in cooperation with Royal Oman Police, have arrested a number of people who were involved in illegal hunting of the Arabian gazelles in the Sireen Nature Reserve. The arrests were made on October 2 after a group of armed illegal hunters on a four-wheel drive vehicle were caught red-handed while hunting for Arabian gazelles in Al Jabal Al Aswad area in the Sireen Nature Reserve. The culprits attempted to resist the arrest and shot the wildlife inspectors. The wildlife inspectors made a narrow escape without which they could have lost their lives. Police and special task force personnel then raided the spot and arrested the accused. Police seized their vehicles and firearms including the gazelles they hunted. The defendants were interrogated by the police about the crime and will be referred to the judiciary for trial.