BHOPAL: After month-long investigation, Special Task Force (STF) of Madhya Pradesh forest department confiscated a hide of radio-collared tiger, which was poached in Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) in August. STF concluded in its report submitted to forest department on Monday that big cat was killed for 'sorcery'. Thirteen people, including a government school teacher of Chhindwara district were arrested over a period of a month. The tiger was shifted from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Satpura two years ago.
During interrogation, accused confessed the tiger was killed for witchcraft by school teacher Ram Kishore and others under influence of a sorcerer, Sitararam Chouhan, who promised them he can make fast money by performing rituals sitting on a tiger skin. "All fell into a trap and killed the big cat by poisoning it's kill," said a forest officer.
Principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) Narendra Kumar told TOI, "We confirmed the hide belonged to radio-collared tiger translocated from Bandhavgarh reserve."
Poachers not only killed the animal, but also extracted oil from its fat for using it as remedy for joint aches and erectile dysfunction, sources said.
In a joint operation two months ago, STF of forest department and Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) confiscated two bottles of suspected tiger fat oil from poachers' network. Oil was seized from Srivas of Sakhai village in Hoshangabad and Yunus from Itarsi. Both were arrested along with 10 others during a month-long operation.
Samples have been sent to Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and Wildlife Health Monitoring Centre (WHMC), Jabalpur, for DNA tests. Teams have been dispatched to Delhi and other areas for more arrests in the poaching case. Besides oil, officials have sent bone samples for verification.
Inputs on killing of tiger surfaced during interrogation of a gang of pangolin poachers arrested by STF officials from Sakai village last week, which is located in the tiger reserve's core area.
Thirteen people, including a former village sarpanch were arrested during routine patrolling by forest guards. Spear and pangolin scales were seized from them.
During interrogation, one of the accused told STF officials they also killed a tiger by poisoning its kill near Sakai village and it had a radio collar. Officials suspect poachers are connected to an international poaching syndicate with roots in MP, UP and Maharashtra.
