Puttalam wildlife officers have arrested an individual during an operation conducted to apprehend a group involved in the destruction of mangroves in Wattakkandal, Wanathawilluwa.
Puttalam wildlife officers had received information several days ago about mangrove destruction taking place in Wattakkandal, Wanathawilluwa.
Based on that information, an operation was launched this afternoon (10) with one team operating from Kalpitiya using fishing boats and another approaching by land.
During the raid, the suspects who were cutting down mangroves attempted to escape. Officers then fired warning shots and managed to apprehend one of them.
Questioning of the arrested suspect revealed that six more individuals involved in the act had escaped.
A search operation is currently underway to locate the remaining suspects.
The arrested individual is to be handed over to the Wanathawilluwa Police for further investigations.
