CHANDRAPUR: A posse of Chandrapur forest range personnel nabbed seven persons for poaching monitor lizards in forest village Junona on the outskirts of the city. Officers seized three chopping knives along with 650 gram of lizard meat from the accused.
RFO, Chandrapur range, RN Thamaskar got a tip off from Junona unit of Eco - Pro organization about poaching of monitor lizard. A raid was carried out in the village on Sunday evening and seven accused were arrested. "The poachers were busy chopping the meat of monitor lizard when our team caught them red-handed. A total of seven accused who were involved in poaching monitor lizard in nearby fields, have been arrested," Thamaskar said.
Those arrested include Mirugdas Nagdevate (45), Rakesh Bhagat (32), Hiraman Popate (42), Rajit Ramteke (35), Bhaktdas Nagdevate (32), Prakash Duryodhan (40), Shishupal Duryodhan (45). All accused are residents of Junona village. They have been charged with relevant section of Wildlife Protection Act. They were produced before the JMFC court on Monday and remanded to forest custody remand for one day.
