Maharashtra: Two arrested with tiger body parts; one more tiger dead

CHANDRAPUR: Foresters of Sindewahi range nabbed a couple of treasure hunters and seized valuable tiger parts, including nails, bones, canines and whiskers, late on Monday night. The accused had removed the tiger parts from the carcass of a sub-adult tiger cub in the forest under Sindewahi range to perform occult rituals to find hidden treasure.
Official sources informed that foresters got a tip-off that Nagendra Wakde and Sonal Dhadse were trying to perform ‘Kajli’ (occult ritual for locating underground treasure) with the help of tiger parts near village Dhanora in Sindewahi tehsil.Accordingly, a team of foresters from Sindewahi range rounded up the duo with the help of local cops during a late night raid in Dhanora and recovered 11 nails, four teeth, 16 whiskers and four bones of forelimb from them.
The accused duo was booked under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act and interrogated about the tiger parts. They took the foresters to compartment no. 261 in Maregaon beat, where one them had found the tiger carcass. Foresters found all other body parts of the tiger intact, with 11 nails, all teeth, whiskers and a few bones recovered from the place. The remains of the tiger were incinerated after inquest formalities in the presence of NTCA and PCCF representatives Bandu Dhotre and Vivek Karambelkar respectively.
Sources informed that accused Kisan Wakde, while collecting tendu leaves in forest, had found the carcass a couple of weeks back. He came into contact of exorcist Dhadse, who told him to bring particular tiger parts and he would help trace hidden treasure with the help of ‘Kajli’. Accordingly, Wakde removed the canines, nails and two bones each from forelimbs of tiger carcass and took it to Dhadse.
The duo were preparing for the occult ritual when they were arrested. They were produced before JMFC court and sent to four days of forest custody remand on Tuesday.
One more tiger found dead
In yet another incident, an adult male tiger was found dead in compartment no. 172 in Vihirgaon beat under Rajura forest range on Tuesday evening. Officials claimed that all the body parts were intact, and cause of death is uncertain. Post mortem could not be done as it was late in the evening. Autopsy on the dead tiger would be carried out on Wednesday to ascertain the cause of death, DCF, Central Chanda, Arvind Munde said.