Powers of Game Officers

Powers of Game Officers. —

1. (1) Any Game Officer or any police officer may require any person who has killed or captured any wild animal or wild bird or has in his possession any such animal or bird or any trophy, meat or other article mentioned in section 26, to produce for inspection the license, if any, under which the animal or bird was killed or captured or the trophy, meat or other article is possessed by him.
2. (2) Any Game Officer or any police officer may, if he has reasonable grounds for believing that any person has committed an offence against this Act—
   • (a) require any such person to produce for inspection any animal, bird, trophy, meat or other article in his possession or any license, permit or other document issued to him or required to be kept by him under the provisions of this Act;
   • (b) stop, detain and search any vehicle or boat in any place which he has reason to believe is being used for the commission of an offence under this Act;
   • (c) seize and detain any animal, bird, trophy, meat or other article in the possession of such person or any vehicle or boat, which he has reason to believe has been or is being used for the commission of an offence under this Act and shall deal with the same in such manner as may be prescribed.
3. (3) Any officer of the Forest Department or any police officer of such rank as may be prescribed, shall have the same powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest as a Game Officer under this section. Provided that every person detained or arrested and every animal, bird, trophy, meat or other article seized under this section shall be produced before the nearest Magistrate for trial or for orders as to disposal of the property, as the case may be, as soon as possible.