BARIPADA: Two constables of Odisha Police were arrested for poaching in the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) on Monday. Carcass of a barking deer was seized from their possession apart from the gun they allegedly used for hunting.
The capture of duo from the core area with a gun has raised serious questions on the protection measures in the inviolate zone of the tiger reserve. They have been identified as 57-year-old Purnachandra Madehi and Hemanta Kumar Mohanty (46), both serving as constables in Sahadevkhunta police station in Balasore district. Madhei is a resident of Tentulia village in Berhampur near Nilagiri while Mohanty hails from Bedipur village within Khantapada police limits.
During night patrolling, forest officials nabbed the two constables in Na’ana South range. The carcass of a female barking deer, a country-made gun, chopper and plastic bags were seized from their possession.Deputy Director of STR Jagyandatta Pati said preliminary investigation revealed that the two had come to their relative’s house at Dukura in Mayurbhanj district. On Sunday night, they decided to go hunting and hired a country-made gun from a local. The gun was customised with advanced features.
Pati further said, the constables killed the animal in the wee hours on Monday under Na’ana South range. They were caught red-handed with the carcass and were brought to the forest office along with the weapons used in the crime. The accused do not have any history of poaching and this was their first time, he said.Both of them were arrested under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and produced in SDJM court in Udala. After certifying the species, forest personnel buried the animal in a nearby jungle.