CHANDRAPUR: The sleuths of Chimur forest range probing the seizure of tiger nails in Chimur have uncovered a poachers gang inside Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR).
Investigations have revealed that the tiger was killed near Hirdi Nullah in Kolsa range of TATR. Four more accused were arrested from Kolsa village on Monday evening in connection with the poaching.
Forest officials have also recovered tiger bones and six wire traps from the place where the tiger was killed. Acting on the basis of a tip-off given by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), Chimur RFO BS Padve had arrested Mangaldas Madavi with three tiger nails in Chimur on Saturday.
Madavi is a resident of Jamni village, inside TATR, and this rang alarm bells among forest officials. Raids were carried out in Kolsa the same evening and Bhauji Gedam was also arrested. Chimur forest officials presented the accused before the court and obtained their forest custody remand for five days.
Investigators were shocked to learn that the accused duo with their accomplices had poached a tiger, whose nails were seized, in Kolsa range of TATR.
On the basis of information given by Madavi and Gedam, Chimur officials once again raided Kolsa on Monday evening and arrested four more persons.
The arrested accused also identified the place of poaching near Hirdi Nullah in Kolsa range. Forest officials found 20 tiger bones at the spot. Six wire traps were also recovered after the arrested accused revealed their locations.
Each wire trap had 15 nooses. Speaking to TOI, Bramhapuri ACF AN Dhote confirmed that a tiger was poached.
"The accused have confessed to poaching a tiger. They said that they had laid the wire traps to poach smaller animals like deer and sambhar, but accidentally a tiger got caught in it. Later, its body parts were removed by the poachers," said Dhote. He said that around half-a-dozen others who had purchased the tiger parts, are likely to be arrested in the coming days.
The four arrested from Kolsa on Monday are Ganpat Gedam, Sainath Shedmake, Gulab Todase and Khushal Todase. Dhote further said that they are going to seek FCR of the four accused from the court. "Once our interrogation is over, the case will be handed over to authorities of TATR as the poaching has taken place in their territory," said Dhote. Dhote did not say when this tiger was poached. "He poached tiger in question is likely to be the tigress with two cubs in Hirdi Nullah. It used to roam in the territory between Shivanzari, Hirdi Nullah and Kakadghat, but has gone missing about an year ago," sources have said.
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