In a breakthrough, the prime accused of the recent incident of poaching of tigers that happened at KotdwarNazibababad forest division was arrested on Tuesday night during a joint operation of Haridwar police and forest department. However, three other accused are still absconding. The accused would be taken on remand by the Haridwar police for interrogation.
Mentionworthy, five tiger skins and bones had been seized in Shyampur area of Haridwar by Special Task Force (STF) on March 13. A poacher Ram Chandra alias Chandra, a resident of Dhobiyana slum colony, near bus stand of Bathinda in Punjab, was arrested in connection with the case while the other four members of the gang had managed to escape.
They had hunted tigers around five months ago in forest area of Kotdwar-Nazibabad forest range. All the poachers belong to Bawariya gang which is notorious for poaching. A case was registered in Shaympur police station.
One of the absconding accused Partap, 46, resident of Kalka, Haryana was arrested from Rishikul bus stand by a joint team of Haridwar police and forest department on Tuesday. Pratap is said to be the main accused in this case. Police are planning to take him on remand soon to capture the others.
SHO of Shyampur police station, Mahesh Purval told The Pioneer, “The second prime accused in tiger poaching case was arrested in joint operation of Haridwar police and forest department. We are taking him on remand for further investigation so that the others now absconding are nabbed.”
