Tadvai cops nab 4 poachers, seize tiger skin & nails

During interrogation, the arrested persons confessed to have killed the big cat and also showed the officials where they hid the remnants of the tiger.

MULUGU: In a major hunt, the Sammakka Saralamma (SS) Tadvai police arrested four persons and seized tiger skin, nails, its carcass and snares used to nab the big cat from their possession, on Sunday. The arrested persons have been identified as Madakam Naresh , Madavi Erumaiah, Madakam Mukesh and Madavi Deva, belonging to Kodishala village.

The skeletal remains of the tiger
that was seized from the arrested persons

According to police, the tiger got caught in the snare set up by them in a forest under Tadvai limits on September 21. Soon after learning about this, the poachers arrived at the spot, decorticated the big cat and extracted its nails. They then chopped the tiger’s carcass and divided it among themselves. The four poachers then decided to smuggle the remnants of the tiger to Chhattisgarh after a few days, so as to avoid suspicion.

Meanwhile, the SS Tadvai police received a tipoff from reliable sources regarding the smuggle. They immediately swung into action and launched search operations on all roads leading to the neighbouring State, with the help of district forest officials, to nab the miscreants. The accused persons were caught during vehicle checks at a crossroad leading to Chhattisgarh. Speaking to the media, Mulugu SP Dr Sangram Singh J Patil said that the four were podu farmers. 

During interrogation, the arrested persons confessed to have killed the big cat and also showed the officials where they hid the remnants of the tiger. They also said that more persons were involved in the crime. A veterinary doctor, Ch Praveen Kumar, performed autopsy on the body of the big cat, in the presence of Warangal Chief Conservator of Forest SJ Asha and Mulugu FDO Jogendra.

A case has been registered under the Wildlife Act, 1972.According to the DFO, the tiger migrated to Tadvai from Chhattisgarh. “The forest officials had spotted the big cat in the local forest on August 1, 2021. Though they were able to monitor its movement for almost two months, the officials lost track of it after mid-September,” he added.

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