Three individuals, including two government employees, were arrested on Thursday for illegally hunting the rare Suleiman Markhor in the protected Takato Range. Authorities recovered the remains of the hunted Markhor along with the weapons used in the illegal activity.

The incident occurred in the Takato area, located between Quetta and Pishin, within the jurisdiction of Bostan in Pishin district. The area is a designated protected zone under wildlife conservation laws. According to Assistant Commissioner Karizat Amir Hamza Baloch, the arrests were made during a successful operation in the Bostan Industrial Zone, carried out with the assistance of the Levies Force. The operation was based on intelligence reports about ongoing illegal hunting activities in the region.

The suspects were apprehended while attempting to transport the Markhor’s body down the mountain in a jeep during the night. The arrested individuals were identified as police officer Izhar Ahmad, WASA employee Musawir Jan, and Saddam Khan, all residents of Bostan.

A case has been registered against the suspects under sections 9, 16B, and other provisions of the Balochistan Wildlife Act, 2014. The Suleiman Markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, is a rare and protected species, and its illegal hunting is a punishable offense under the law.