India, Aug. 23 -- Three people were arrested in Tumakuru district of Karnataka on Friday for allegedly burning alive a leopard that had been caught in an illegal snare trap in a ragi field, the Forest Department said. The incident was recorded and shared on WhatsApp, triggering outrage.

The accused -- GD Shivakumar, Narayanappa and Chandrashekar, all residents of Gauragondanahalli village in Tumakuru taluk -- were remanded in judicial custody. More arrests are likely, officials said.

The incident took place on farmland owned by Narayanappa at the foothills of a hill. According to the Forest Department, nearly half of his ragi crop had been destroyed by wild boars, peacocks and leopards coming down from the nearby hill. Frustrated by the...