7 poachers held with tiger skin in Bijapur

Raipur: Seven suspected poachers were arrested and a tiger skin were recovered from them during a joint operation involving the district forest department and the Udanti Sitanadi anti-poaching team in in Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bijapur district on Friday. Ganvir Dhammshil, the deputy director of Indravati Tiger Reserve, said that they had received specific information about certain individuals possessing a tiger skin in Rudraram village within the Reserve's jurisdiction. A joint team of anti-poaching from Udanti-Sitanadi Riger Reserve from Gariaband district and Indravati Reserve in Bijapur forest division was sent to the said place and seven persons were arrested. It was believed that they were attempting to arrange a sale for the skin. However, the accused individuals claimed that they intended to use it for a ritual, he said, adding that Whether the tiger was killed within the reserve or obtained from elsewhere is currently under investigation. Officials said that the skin appeared to belong to a young tiger that had been killed around three months ago.The skin will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for identification, age determination, and further details about the wild cat, in case it had been previously captured on camera traps.The accused have been identified as Vikram Thakur, Pritam Lal Sahu, Tameshwar Jain, Kaka Dipak, Manoj Kursam, Kishore Dashrahiya, and Arti Das. They have provided information about additional individuals involved in the poaching racket, who are currently being tracked down. The possible involvement of two police officers in the wildlife crime is also under suspicion and they are currently being interrogated.Indravati Tiger Reserve is renowned as a favored habitat for tigers, and due to its proximity to the forests bordering Maharashtra and Telangana, the corridor also witnesses the movement of other wildlife such as cheetahs, leopards, and sloth bears. The presence and regular movement of tigers within the Reserve have been previously confirmed through camera traps.