Image credit : Illustrative image

COIMBATORE: Four persons, including three women, were penalised for possessing and selling venison in Mettupalayam.

On a tip off that deer meat was being sold in Vellipalayam, Forest Department officials rushed there two days ago and found meat in a house belonging to Abila alias Prema, who told the officials that she had purchased it from one Rajkumar.

Prema had sold the meat to two others Nanjammal and another Prema, even as Rajkumar went missing.The officials seized four kilos of venison.

Officials managed to nab him on Tuesday evening, who told them that he had taken the carcass of the deer, being dragged by a dog and given to Abila to sell so that they could share the money. The department collected a penalty of Rs. 20,000 each from Rajkumar and Abila, while Rs. 5,000 each was taken from Nanjammal and Prema as a penalty. The four were released with a warning.