HYDERABAD: Six persons including two college students who were allegedly involved in poaching of wild animals were arrested by the Achampet forest department officials in Mahabubnagar district.

A group of nine persons from Hyderabad entered the Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve-Srisailam in two vehicles yesterday night and shot dead a sambar deer and a spotted deer, when a herd of deer was drinking water at Rasool tank, a forest ranger officer of Achampet said over phone.

The Forest Department staff held six persons when they tried to flee from the forest area after loading the deer meat and skin in their vehicles, the forest officer said.

"One among the three who managed to escape is a police constable and a manhunt has been launched to arrest them," he said adding the arrested have been booked for violating Wildlife Protection Act 1982 and will be sent for judicial custody.

Two of the six arrested persons are college students while the remaining are private employees and they informed that they entered the forest for hunting purpose, the forest officer added.

One rifle and the two vehicles used for poaching was seized. Further investigations were on.