The sealed report was opened on Friday by judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) GD Agrawal in the presence of counsel for accused Yogesh Satpute and special counsel for forest department Kartik Shukul and the accused. The report was submitted to the court in June but was opened on Friday as all the parties were present.

On February 7, another CCMB report was opened by JMFC AY Borkar in the same court. The DNA samples like bloodstained soil, decomposed flesh pieces, intestinal parts collected from compartment number 51 near Masondi in Ghatang (Melghat) and hair samples collected half a km away from the spot, had revealed they belonged to four different tigers and not one as suspected.

It is a matter of investigation whether the tigers in the latest report are among the four killed in May last year or different. It is also possible that a female pregnant tigress might have been trapped.

The bloodstained shirt belonged to arrested poacher Srival, who had hit the trapped tiger with stones tied to his shirt. The shirt, which had blood stains, was seized from the spot by investigating officials. Of the four bloodstains, two big ones tested positive for tiger blood.

Similarly, the steel trap seized from the house of Jiyalal Bawankar, a resident of Buradghat village, 8km from Paratwada, had blood on it. The report says blood on the trap and that on the shirt was of two different tigers. Bawankar, who is out on bail, was a regular supplier of steel traps to Baheliya poachers in Melghat. A few months ago, outside the court, he had told TOI that absconding poachers Luchi and Bharo had approached him in May last and had handed over the steel trap with a promise they will return after a month and take it back.

However, on June 6, 2013, the poaching racket was exposed with arrest of two Baheliya poachers Mamru and Chika near Mansar. Since then, 21 hardened poachers have been arrested while 35 are still at large.

TOI on September 13, 2013, had reported quoting notorious tiger skin trader Sarju Bagdi that different gangs of poachers had trafficked more than 20 tiger skins from the region. These tigers were killed between October 2012 and May 2013. Officially, the figure has touched 18. Though there is no recovery in several cases, the number is based on confession statements by arrested accused.

Poacher, trader apply for bail

Notorious tiger poacher Ajit and trader Sarju Bagdi have filed bail applications before the court of JMFC GD Agrawal. Ajit was arrested in September from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). Ajit and Keru Rajgond had killed an adult tiger in Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary. Ajit and his accomplice Saranki were also involved in poaching a tiger in Khumari near Mansinghdeo sanctuary. Sarju had trafficked 11 tiger skins from Amdi Fata and Bhandarbodi near Ramtek last year in April-June. Meanwhile, the order on bail plea of tiger skin and body parts trader Suraj Pal will be issued on Monday.