Alipurduar, May 30: A woman was arrested by the forest department for thrashing to death a fawn this afternoon.

According to forest officers, Malati Roy (36) entered Barobisha beat under the Volka range of Buxa Tiger Reserve (East) around 1.30pm to collect firewood.

When the woman saw a fawn hopping in the area, she picked up the branch of a tree and hit the animal with it. The deer fell on the ground and died.

The mother, which was nearby, heard the fawn groaning and reached the spot.

The deer’s cries invited the attention of the foresters who arrived at the spot.

The woman was taken into custody and the fawn’s body brought to the range office for post-mortem.

Malati told the foresters that she was scared by the fawn and had never thought that it would die after “a mild hit”.

An officer said the woman would be charged under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

If proved guilty, she could be awarded a minimum sentence of three years.

Suvankar Sengupta, the deputy field director of BTR (East), said the woman would be produced in Siliguri court tomorrow.