Varanasi, Sept. 17 (PTI): A hunt is on to arrest the killers of a black buck in eastern Uttar Pradesh in a poaching case that has thrown forest officials into a tizzy.

Ajay Kumar Shukla, district magistrate of Sonebhadra where the incident took place, said the animal was gunned down by six to seven poachers in Kanhari village in the Ghorawal forest area this month.

The black buck was killed on September 4 but its carcass and skin was found on September 14 in a drain, apparently near the spot where it was shot, forest officials said. They have registered a case under Sections 9, 29, 31 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, against the poachers.

If convicted, the hunters could meet the fate of Salman Khan who, convicted of killing a black buck, faces a year in jail. His plea is pending before court.

District forest officer Jagan Dev Singh refused comment but other officials said the post-mortem showed the animal had two bullet injuries.