5 Air Force personnel among 7 arrested over alleged deer poaching at Mattala Airport
Five Sri Lanka Air Force personnel, including an officer attached to the Mattala Air Force camp, and two civilians have been arrested over the alleged shooting and killing of deer roaming within the premises of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.Mattala Police said the suspects are accused of killing the animals and selling the meat to civilians.Police have recovered meat and the skull of a deer believed to have been shot, along with a firearm allegedly used in the shooting and a knife.
An Air Force jeep allegedly used to transport the venison and a motorcycle used by the officer have also been taken into police custody.Preliminary investigations have revealed that deer were allegedly shot within the airport premises and taken to a bathroom inside the Air Force camp, where the carcasses were prepared for meat.Police said the meat was then allegedly handed over to two civilians who were waiting outside the electric fence surrounding the airport premises. (
