HYDERABAD, Oct 22: A case has been lodged against four influential people — a serving army captain and a nephew of a federal minister among them — for hunting the protected species of partridges and sand grouse in the Khirthar National Park, which is also known as the Kohistan Wildlife Sanctuary, in Jamshoro district.

The case was lodged on Sunday and the birds were seized. The four were later freed on submitting personal bonds.

Sources in the wildlife and forestry department told Dawn here on Monday that the four people — Zulfiqar Magsi, Jamil Bugti, Danish Iqbal Panwhar and Latif Farooqui — had been booked under sections 7, 10 and 14 of the Sindh Wildlife Protection (amended) Ordinance 2001 on the complaint of one Mazar Khan.

The hunters had arrived in the sanctuary at around 3.30 pm and hunted around 15 partridges and sand grouse which were shown to wildlife officials after a great deal of bickering.

The hunters used two routes to go to the sanctuary, the Thana Bula Khan Road and the Dada Bhoy cement factory.

Sources said the wildlife officials had been tipped off that some people had arrived for illegal hunting.