A cock equipped with a knife for an illegal cockfight killed its owner in southern India.
The bird’s owner was impaled in the groin by the knife while the animal tried to escape. The man died on the way to the hospital due to a loss of blood.
The police are now looking for 15 more people involved in the event, which took place in the village of Lothunur, in the state of Telangana, earlier this week.
The animal was detained at a police station before being transferred to a farm.
Police said the animal was being prepared to fight when it tried to escape. Its owner tried to catch it, but was hit by a knife 7 cm long (three inches) in the animal’s leg during the fight.
Those involved in the event are accused of manslaughter, illegal gambling and cockfighting, the AFP news agency reported.
Local police officer B Jeevan said the animal would be taken to court as evidence at a later date, according to The New Indian Express.
Cockfighting became illegal in India in 1960, but fights are still relatively common in rural areas like Telangana, with many taking place at the Hindu festival in Sankranti.
It is not the first time that an owner has been killed by his rooster. Last year, a man in Andhra Pradesh died after being hit in the neck by a blade attached to his cock.
According to CNN, the owner was taking his cock for a cockfight when the incident occurred.