The Tribune , Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Correspondent : Raman Mohan

Jhajjar, June 7Even as a team of the district police raided former cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s house in New Delhi’s Vasant Vihar this evening, another accused in the poaching case — Shashi Singh — moved an application for anticipatory bail in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge, Mr Dharampal, here today. The judge listed the application for hearing on Thursday. According to a PTI report, the police team recovered from the South Delhi house of Pataudi the Gypsy from which the carcasses of the black buck and two rabbits were sezied on Friday night near here. In another development Madan Singh, a resident of Aurangpur village near here, who is also among the accused in the case, was produced in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Mr Sudheer Jiwan, who sent him to judicial custody till April 13. Meanwhile, the carcass of the black buck brought here by a police team from Delhi was late last night buried in the same place from where Naresh Kadian, chief of the Haryana chapter of the People for Animals organisation had exhumed it. The burial which took place in the presence of the Tehsildar, Wildlife Inspector and a veterinarian was videographed. Earlier, the police had issued summonses to the seven accused yet to be arrested to present themselves for questioning latest by 5 p.m. today. However, none of them reported at the police station till the expiry of the deadline. The summonses had been issued under Section 160 of the CrPC. Meanwhile the police extended the deadline to 5 p.m. on June 10. Police sources said if they failed to join the investigation, the legal process for their arrest would be initiated. They said Pataudi’s house in Delhi was raided to recover the vehicles used in the commissioning of the crime. Incidentally, the police had let all the accused go along with their vehicles on the night of June 3 after they were caught carrying the carcasses in a Gypsy. Residents of Aurangpur and its neighbouring villages told The Tribune today that several high profile and influential residents of Delhi have been visiting the area for hunting on a regular basis. The situation has come to such a pass that some villagers had turned hunting guides to assist them in poaching in return for money. They said though poaching had been going on for several years, it came into limelight only after the Nawab of Pataudi was caught poaching last week.

SOURCE : The Tribune, Wednesday, June 08, 2005