Raipur: A chilling wildlife crime trail has emerged from Bastar, where investigators suspect a tiger and a leopard were not only poached but also allegedly consumed before their hides and body parts were smuggled out. At least 10 people including a forest official were arrested in what exposed a brutal and layered racket operating deep inside south Chhattisgarh's forests.
The breakthrough came when forest teams intercepted two men carrying a tiger hide on the Dantewada-Balod road. This led to a chain of raids on Monday and Tuesday, including recovery of a leopard skin from Keshapur village, and the arrest of more than eight people, including a deputy forest ranger.
Investigators suspected a tiger and a leopard were poached and allegedly consumed before their skins and body parts entered an illegal trade network operating inside the region's forests.
Nails of the animals were also seized, but teeth were still missing, raising fears that parts have already been moved beyond the state boundaries.
Preliminary investigation suggested the tiger was hunted nearly four months ago in Bijapur's Naimed area, while the leopard was killed in the hill stretches of Faraspal-Bailadila in Dantewada. During questioning, the accused indicated that the meat of the animals may have been consumed locally before the hide and claws were preserved for sale, investigators said.
The operation involved a joint team of Dantewada and Bijapur forest divisions, Indravati Tiger Reserve, the state flying squad and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Officials said the arrested people were all tribals and part of a local network, but the larger chain was still under probe.
Those arrested were identified as Laxman Telam, 51, deputy forest ranger Deviram Oyam, 58, Ramesh Kudiyam, 24, Farson Poyami, 27, Semla Ramesh, 24, Sukhram Podiyam, 21, Maso Oyam, 50, and Arjun Bhogami, 42. The deal they informed was struck for Rs 1 crore.
Officials also flagged a suspected loss of a tiger from the Indravati landscape, which could reduce the reserve's population from six to five.
Officials described the operation as a significant breakthrough in dismantling a local wildlife trafficking network in the region. "No one involved in illegal hunting or trafficking of wildlife will be spared," DFO Ranganadha Ramakrishna V said.
Rashmi is a Special Correspondent with The Times of India in Chha...
Read MoreRashmi is a Special Correspondent with The Times of India in Chhattisgarh. She covers Politics, Left Wing Extremism, Crime and Human Rights among other areas of news value.
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