Woman poacher travelled with tiger skin, bones from Melghat to Ramtek

The Times of India , Sunday, August 18, 2013
Correspondent : Vijay Pinjarkar
NAGPUR: The interrogation of nine poachers arrested in Pune for killing a tiger in Melghat has revealed that a woman member of the gang travelled 300 km from Melghat to Ramtek in Nagpur district with tiger skin and bones. This was at the time when foresters knew about poaching rackets in the region and were supposed to be keeping tab.

The woman ducked foresters and police and managed to sell the skin and bones to to Sarju Bagdi, a trader from Haryana.

Of the nine Baheliya poachers from Katni, seven are men and two women. They have been identified as Nirafal, his wife Minar (who transported the material), son Surival, Lupistan, Arjun, Ujiyal, Nachbai and Wireless. Six of them have been booked for killing the tiger and three for killing a sloth bear in May in the same metal trap laid near Masondi in Ghatang.

Forest department sources said Minar transported the tiger skin and bones in a sack to Amdi Fata near Mansar in Ramtek tehsil. There is no direct transport to Amdi Fata from Melghat, yet she managed to transfer the material for Sarju could take it away by May end. Arrested poachers Mamru and Chika have already confessed to killing the tiger in mid-May.

According to the duo, Sarju took away 11 tiger skins during two visits between March and June from Amdi Fata and Bhandarbodi, both near Ramtek. Giving no credit to any NGO for its achievement, the forest department in a release claimed it was independently working on the call detail records (CDRs) of poachers since March 4, when killing of tiger in Dhakna (Melghat) was exposed.

If officials were active since March 4, how could the poachers manage to kill Ghatang tiger in May and even transport skin and bones so easily, ask activists. Forest officials said some documents seized from the arrested poachers from Pune showed Sarju's cell number. The team also seized spears used to kill tiger and mobile phones.

Despite a major poaching racket being exposed, probe team's entire focus is on Ghatang tiger. While officials reluctantly registered an offence for killing of tiger in Akot as revealed by poachers, still no offence has been registered in deal of six tiger skins from Bhandarbodi and the tiger claimed to be killed in Tumsar near Nagzira.

Meanwhile, magisterial custody (MCR) of poachers Mamru, Chika, Barsul and Yarlen has been extended till August 28. They were taken to the spot in Akot where they claimed to have killed a tiger. The two harbourers of these poachers, Parman and Soberam Sawalkar, were granted bail but were not released for want of IDs. "The recent arrests have helped to give a strong message to poaching community that state forest department is committed to save the tigers and no one can get away from the law anymore," said a release issued by Melghat officials.

Officials probed, poachers made merry

* According to forest department, it launched probe based on CDRs of poachers since March 4 after killing of Dhakna tiger.

* Still poachers were very much active in Melghat. They killed tiger in Ghatang on May 15-17

* In spite of red alerts, tiger skin trader Sarju was in Nagpur from March 30 to June 2, 2013. He procured 11 tiger skins from poachers in this period

* Woman poacher Minar transported tiger skin and bones over 300km away from Melghat to Amdi Fata near Ramtek without any hassles

* By May end, the skin along with four other skins from tigers killed in MP and region were delivered to Sarju

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Woman-poacher-travelled-with-tiger-skin-bones-from-Melghat-to-Ramtek/articleshow/21906822.cms
 


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