.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
5 poachers held; tiger teeth seized
BARIPADA: Forest officials have arrested five people and confiscated four tiger teeth during a raid in Manikpur village, within Udala police limits on Wednesday. Three guns (one of which was loaded), a gun barrel, explosives, and other poaching equipment have also been seized from the possession of the accused.
The accused Nitai Murmu, Jagdish Murmu, Sauru Murmu, Mohato Kisku, and Thupul Hembram are all residents of Manikpur village and aged between 35 and 50.
Deputy director of Similipal Tiger Reserve’s South Wildlife Division, Samrat Gowda, stated that these arrests are linked to a poaching incident involving a tiger that occurred two and half years ago.
A Special Task Force of the Crime Branch had previously seized the hide of the tiger, and the accused Mohato Kisku and Thupul Hembram had been on the run. The raid was conducted based on recent intelligence, leading to the successful apprehension of the poachers, he added.
During the operation, officials recovered the tiger teeth, three guns, a partially constructed wooden gun butt, explosive materials, approximately 80 arrows, and a bundle of snares from the suspects’ homes.
Mohato Kisku, a known poacher, will be handed over to the STF Crime Branch for further investigation. The accused have been charged under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and will be presented in court following further formalities. Investigation is on.