AHMEDABAD: The forest department officials feel the involvement of people from Barmer (Rajasthan), along with some locals in the alleged poaching of the nearly five-month-old cub from Chandgadh village in Lilya in Amreli district.

On Friday night, the cub was found dead on the outskirts of Gir sanctuary. The cub's carcass was found in mutilated condition. Forest officials suspect that the poachers may have cut off its feet after trapping and killing the animal.

An official involved in the search operation said that in the last 60 hours of intensive search, they could only get some pieces of bones which might have been eaten by other animals after poaching.

Officials said that the area where these labourers were staying was very near the windmill which had been installed for filling up the artificial ponds. The officials who regularly visited the area did not even notice this make-shift huts.

Forest officials involved in the investigation said these labourers were involved in charcoal-making from Prosopis juliflora. There are thousands of labourers who have been staying in the area without any registration by the forest department and have been involved in the making of illegal charcoal in the area.

Officials said of the seven who have been detained, three are local labourers from Dhandhuka. The officials said that they cannot ascertain from the body if the cub was killed before the legs were chopped off or was it a case of infighting resulting in chopping of all the four feet. Officials said that it appears that the killing was for nails and bones. Officials said that according to the post-mortem report, it was clear that the death had been reported on Thursday night.