BARIPADA: Forest officials of Pithabata South Wildlife range under Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) arrested five suspected poachers and seized four guns from their possession on Wednesday.
The accused are Karunakar Mallick (28), Kartika Bhakta (30), Bhola Bhakta (29), Gunu Bhakta (30) and Rabi Bhakta (50), all residents of Besarpani village within Baripada Sadar police limits.
Deputy director of STR South Wildlife Division Samrat Gowda said recently, one of the AI-integrated cameras installed in STR captured photographs of some poachers sneaking into the forests with guns. Basing on the photos and inputs from Similipal Wildlife Intelligence Network (SWIN), forest officials identified the poachers.
A team of forest staff led by an assistant conservator of forests raided the houses of the poachers and nabbed them. During search, four guns including a loaded one, 100 gram gunpowder, 200 pellets, two headlights, as many hand saws and a clutch wire snare were recovered from them. The accused had concealed these items inside their houses to hunt animals, said Gowda. All the accused were produced in the sub-divisional judicial magistrate Court at Baripada and remained in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of other villagers in poaching animals, the forest officer added.