BARIPADA: Between August and October this year, 71 illegal country-made guns and a pair of deer horns were seized by Mayurbhanj police from the fringe villages of Similipal Tiger Reserve within the jurisdiction of Baripada, Karanjia, Rairangpur, and Kaptipada sub-divisions.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, inspector general of police, eastern range, Himanshu Lal said, “As part of ‘Clean Similipal’ drive, our priority is to flush out poachers and prevent the entry of weapons to safeguard the natural habitat and wildlife. This drive has been successful in seizing 236 weapons so far.”
This achievement underscores the dedicated efforts of the police force in safeguarding the Similipal sanctuary, one of the country’s largest national parks, against the threat of illegal arms and armed poachers, he added.
The district police initiated the drive in consultation with the State Government and the Director General of Police after two frontline forest staff lost lives being gunned down by armed poachers, . Over five months, starting from June, the operation led to the seizure of a total of 236 illegal weapons, including country-made guns and a pair of deer horns. Moreover, 80 cases have been registered, resulting in the arrest of 21 people under the Arms Act.
Three platoons of police forces have been deployed within the national park, and the ‘Clean Similipal’ operation will continue indefinitely to protect the park and its wildlife, Lal added. In collaboration with more than 14 police stations located near the national park, security personnel are working diligently to prevent the entry of illegal arms and poachers, said Mayurbhanj SP B Gangadhar.
“We are encouraging PRI members, sarpanchs, ward members, and social activists to lend support to strengthen the network for this special drive as the area is under their jurisdiction and they should shoulder the responsibility to ensure Similipal is clean,” the SP added.