This is the second such exposure of tiger poaching in Melghat. On April 10, West Betul forest officials had arrested three persons with skin of tiger killed in Chikhaldara in Melghat from one Punaji Korku, a resident of Bamadehi in Chikhaldara in Amravati. In 2012-13, at least five tigers were poached in Melghat, most of them from territorial forests. At least, 30 poachers have been arrested.

In the latest case, official sources said a tiger was poached in October 2014 in Dhakna range under West Melghat forest division. Eight days ago, MTR assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Vishal Mali and Shatnik Bhagwat had got a tip-off about the poachers hailing from Hirabambai in Dharni tehsil. Accordingly, a team of 40 foresters including Yadav Tarte of Disha Foundation, Amravati, raided the house of the accused early morning in Hirabambai, 190km from Amravati.

While two accused brothers Shyamlal Shikari Dhande (40) and Subhas Shikari Dhande (42) somehow got a whiff and went absconding, third accused Shobaram Punia Dhande (38), neighbour of the two, was arrested.

All the accused are Korku tribals and proves the perception of officials wrong that they don't indulge in poaching tigers. Shockingly, Shyamlal works as a temporary van major with the forest department.

All the three were habitual wildlife offenders as during the search of Dhandes' house, three steel traps used by Baheliya poachers to kill tigers, sambar horns, one skin each of four-horned antelope, barking deer, monkey, and monitor lizard, besides wild boar teeth and poaching gear like nets, knives, spear, etc were seized.

Shobaram admitted that a tiger was trapped in the farm of Shyamlal. The trap was laid for herbivores. He also revealed that the tiger was brutally killed by removing its eyes by piercing a spear and blowing lathis on the body. "After the tiger died, we removed its paws, nails and teeth and buried the carcass in the farm," Shobaram revealed.

The organized poachers belonging to Baheliya community from Katni in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh kill tigers in similar style. "We will now have to cross-check whether these poachers have any links with the Baheliyas," said an official from the raiding party.

"The worst part of the poaching saga is that the gang operated right under the nose of a forester, whose official quarter is at a stone's throw distance from the poachers houses. He is on leave. Even the spot in the farm where the tiger was killed can be sighted from his quarter," the official added.

Help from the dog squad from Pench is being taken to trace the buried skin of the tiger. Till filing of the report, investigations continued and the two main culprits were still absconding. The poaching case has once again exposed lack of seriousness by the territorial officials in protecting tigers.