Forest dept staff injured in attack by smugglers

A forest department staff was today injured allegedly in an attack by unidentified people on forest officials who tried to prevent smuggling of sea cucumber, an endangered coral species, near Mandapam shoreline, police said.
The gang, which consisted of 50-60 people, managed to decamp with 350 kg of sea cucumber, they said.
Eight people have been detained so far for questioning in connection with the incident in which department staffer Muniasamy suffered injuries and had to be hospitalised, they said.
Forest ranger Satheesh, who headed the team, said they chased a country boat near Mandapam and found it carrying the sea cucumber and there was only one person in the vessel.

They managed to block the boat's passage near the shoreline and when they started checking it a group of 50-60 people suddenly rushed into the hip-deep water, surrounded and started attacking them, forcing the team to retreat, he said.
They informed the police who started searching houses at the coastal Vethalai village for the assailants. Police seized 30 kg of processed sea cucumber and detained eight people for questioning in connection with the attack.
The locals, however, alleged that police were harassing innocent people instead of taking action against the smugglers.
Sea cucumbers, which play an important role in maintaining the marine ecological system, have been classified as endangered species and their harvest banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.