Three hunters from northern Greece are being held in the Republic of North Macedonia after the body of a local game warden was discovered with a fatal shotgun wound.

According to extensive media reports from the neighboring country citing the interior ministry, the main suspect is an 80-year-old Greek national, one of the three.

The incident allegedly surfaced last Saturday when police in the northeast town of Vinica were notified by first responders that a 56-year-old man, identified as “D.A.” from the nearby village of Lipec, had been found dead near the town’s cemetery.

According to reports, the 56-year-old victim was a game warden and a member of a for-hire hunting group.

Authorities in the country immediately launched an operation and arrested three Greek nationals who were in the area for sports hunting, the primary suspect, two other Greek nationals, 24 and 55, as well as a 57-year-old man local man.

Four shotguns and approximately 800 shells were found and confiscated, along with other evidence relevant to the investigation.

Charges are also expected to be brought against the other two Greek nationals, as well as the 57-year-old local man who was arrested.