“Audacious” animal poachers murder STF constable with service pistol, carry away weapon

DEHRADUN: In an audacious act, a gang of animal poachers shot dead police constable Anant Kumar Yadavl, who was a part of a four-member Special Task Force Team (STF) unit that conducted a raid in Ghauntri area in Uttarkashi district in the late night hours on Wednesday. The poachers not only shot dead Constable Anant Kumar Yadav but also freed their accomplices from the clutches of STF and also carried away his pistol before decamping from the spot.A leopard skin, 38 pieces of antlers of Barasingha and 34 long horns of deer, were seized by the STF team, while the five poachers managed to escape.
Acting on a tip-off a four member STF team comprising Nand Kishore Bhatt, Constable Lokendra Kumar, Constable Anant Kumar Yadav and driver Constable Shankar Singh Negi went to Ghauntri area on the border of Uttarkashi and Tehri district. An informer had told the cops that Sunder Singh Bisht, a resident of Sond village along with his two aides was going to supply a tiger skin and some horns to clients near the Dikhauli bus stand in the late night hours.
The police vehicle was parked at a distance from the spot and the driver stayed back. The informer along with Bhatt, Kumar and Yadav walked up to the location, where he identified Bisht from a distance and returned. “The three member police team question the trio and found leopard skin and horns in their possession,” IG Garhwal Sanjay Gunjyal told TOI.
In an effort to set themselves free, the three cried for help. “On which, two other members of the gang, who were hiding in the jungle area started pelting stones on the cops and attacked them,” said the senior police official.
Amid the action, Bisht on the first opportunity zipped out the official pistol of Yadav from the holster. He pointed the gun at the Constable and threatened to kill him. However, the cop in an effort to arrest Bisht moved forward on which the poacher shot a bullet in his chest. Under the cover of darkness, the five poachers managed to escape, while the police team caught hold of two bags in which the leopard skin and horns were kept. A leopard skin of 210 cm in length and 60cm in width, along with 38 antlers of Barasingha and 34 long horns of deer were found from the bags found from the poachers.
Bhatt and Kumar carried Yadav to the police jeep and rushed him to a hospital in Lamgaon. Due to lack of facilities, the cops took Yadav in ambulance to Uttarkashi district hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors.
Stunned by the incident, a team of senior STF officers including, SSP Renuka Devi and ASP Mukesh Chauhan, rushed to Uttarkashi district and are camping to arrest the poachers.
Yadav’s body was brought to Dehradun police lines on Thursday evening. Top police officers including ADG Administration Ram Singh Meena, ADG Law and Order Anil Raturi and IG Garhwal Sanjay Gunjyal, along with hundreds of policemen paid their last tributes to the Constable, before the body was taken to his native village at Haridwar.
Meanwhile, the police department has moved a proposal for a Rs 20 lakh compensation to the family of the Constable. As per the proposal, the top brass has recommended Rs 10 lakh from police fund and Rs 10 from the state.
According to STF unit members at Dehradun, Yadav was an expert in cracking the network of liquor, drug mafia and animal poachers. He was involved in the probe of the Roorkee blast case, in which a minor had died. Besides, he has collected important information of criminals carrying cash reward on their arrest.