DANDELI: Forest officials of the Kali Tiger Reserve have arrested a government employee from Goa in connection with a hunting incident reported from Bondeli village near Diggi in Joida taluk on Sunday. Three other individuals from Goa, along with a local accused who allegedly assisted in the hunt, are currently absconding.
The arrested person has been identified as Jayendra Digambar Gawde (45), a mechanic employed with the Goa government-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation.
According to forest department officials, acting on a tip-off, a team reached the village and apprehended one of the accused during the operation. A subsequent midnight raid was also conducted by staff of the Kumbarwada Range at the residence of Subhash Mirashi, who is believed to have owned the firearm used in the hunting activity. Mirashi is among those missing, along with the three other accused.
Officials recovered the carcass of a palm civet—a Schedule-II species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972—that had been killed by a gunshot. They also seized meat of another animal suspected to be either a monitor lizard or a mouse deer. The samples have been sent for forensic testing to confirm the species. A firearm suspected to have been used in the poaching incident was also recovered.
Forest officials further said that of the absconding accused, two are believed to be attached to private security agencies, while one is a government employee.
Meanwhile, wildlife activists have expressed concern over alleged attempts to weaken the case, claiming there has been pressure from Goa-based interests. They have also highlighted that the incident points to possible cross-border hunting networks involving local residents living near forest areas.
Bondeli village, which has around 60 households and lies close to the Goa border, is believed to have frequent cross-border movement, making it vulnerable to such activities, activists said. They have urged authorities to intensify efforts to trace the absconding accused and ensure they are brought to justice at the earliest.
