NAGPUR: The man arrested with 43kg pangolin scales by Kelwad police on September 22, was released from jail on Saturday due to the apathy of Maharashtra and MP forest officials, who did not request his custody for interrogation.
Jamal Ansari, from Uttar Pradesh, was in police custody till September 23. He was then granted 14-day MCR on September 24. However, since MP and Maharashtra officials showed no interest in quizzing Ansari, he was released on a personal bond of Rs4,000 by a Saoner court.
Ansari's arrest could have led to the cracking of an international gang involved in trafficking pangolin scales from the region. The pangolin is a Schedule I mammal under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and attracts same stringent laws as for tiger poaching.
Records show Ansari had six ATM cards with him and this shows that he was well off and part of a big gang. The case has wider ramifications too, since during the same period another 40kg pangolin scales and cash Rs1.35 lakh were seized from two accused in Balaghat by deputy conservator Ashok Kumar. One of the accused is from Arjuni Morgaon in Gondia.
