3 poachers held in Similipal, wildlife items seized

Riyan Ramanath

Bhubaneswar: Similipal Tiger Reserve (North) authorities on Thursday arrested three persons for possessing wildlife items, including 11 pieces of elephant bones, during enforcement operations in and around the reserve.

Officials said the accused had collected bone pieces from the carcass of a 50-year-old female elephant that died of natural causes inside the reserve. The carcass had been left for natural scavenging as part of standard forest management practice, they said.

The case was detected with the help of an infra-red smart AI camera installed by the Similipal authorities. Officials said the camera inputs enabled them to identify the suspects and crack the case in around 10 days after the bones were allegedly removed.

The arrested were identified as Dasmat Murmu (43), Shankar Murmu (56) and Pandu Soren (38).

Following the arrests, Similipal Tiger Reserve (North) staff conducted search operations at the houses and premises linked to the accused. During the searches, officials seized 11 pieces of elephant bones along with hunting materials and tools.

The seized items included seven bows, seven arrows, an axe, a spade, a plastic bag and eight bundles of bird traps, officials said.

The accused trio have been booked under relevant provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. After being produced before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Mayurbhanj, they were remanded in judicial custody, officials said.

Authorities said further investigation was underway to ascertain whether the accused were involved in other wildlife offences and to determine any wider links connected to the possession of the bones and hunting materials.