Monitor lizards are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and have equal level of protection as tigers. Their numbers are going down drastically due to poaching for traditional medicine and consumption.

Four monitor lizards were cut into pieces on July 17 at the farmhouse of ManojJagtap at Pimpalkhuta near Amravati to serve as meat. Acting on tip-off, when forest team raided the spot late night, the accused had already left the place.

Forest officials then rounded up security guard MarotiWaghmare (65) and seized some cooked pieces of meat and an axe used to chop the mammals from the spot.

The accused included Ravindra Ingle, who works as a clerk with Ram Meghe Institute of Technology & Research, Amravati, and five others.

However, even after 18 days, no arrests were made by the forest officials, despite knowing that the accused were hiding in Amravati. Sources said forest officials are under pressure from local MLAs not to arrest the accused after kin of the accused met them.

Amravati chief conservator of forests (CCF) Sanjeev Gaur denied any pressure. "Five accused have approached the court to seek anticipatory bail. The accused are not cooperating. It is wrong to say that we gave sufficient time to the accused to move the court. We had also issued a lookout notice in the newspaper against the culprits. If forest officials are going slow action will be taken against them."

Amravati MLA Sunil Deshmukh denied there was pressure on forest officials. "What the accused have done is unpardonable and should be punished. I'm a wildlifer, so how can I tolerate such crime? Some relatives did come to meet me but I told them to ask the accused to surrender. Let the law take its own course."

Badnera MLA Ravi Rana, too, denied any pressure. "I learnt about the incident from media. I condemn the killing of wildlife and action should be taken against the accused," Rana told TOI.