PILIBHIT: In a major wildlife crime bust, two men were arrested in the Palia area of the North Kheri forest division on Thursday evening for possessing tiger body parts, forest officials confirmed on Friday. Authorities seized four tiger canines, 13 teeth, and 18 nails during the operation.
The arrests were made after forest officials received a tip-off and posed as buyers to trap the suspects. The accused were identified as Bhagi Ram, a resident of Makanpur village in Palia tehsil, and Prakash Chaudhary from Kailali district in Nepal.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Bhagi Ram managed to escape from the Palia forest range headquarters before being presented before a remand magistrate. He is currently absconding. Chaudhary has been placed in 14-day custody of the forest department.
- Rajamohan, Field Director of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, said a lookout notice has been issued for Bhagi Ram and a fresh FIR registered against him. “Forest staff responsible for his custody have been directed to locate and re-arrest him by Friday evening, failing which strict legal action will be initiated,” he told TOI.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has taken serious note of the case, especially given the involvement of a Nepalese national. Dr. Manoj Kumar, Joint Director of WCCB, stated, “A thorough investigation will be carried out, focusing on the poaching network, supply chains within India and across borders, and the suspects’ past trafficking records. It is crucial to determine whether the tiger was poached or the parts were taken from a decomposed carcass.”
Deputy Director of WCCB (North India), Vishnu Raj Nair, has been assigned to the case and is coordinating closely with forest officials for real-time updates, Kumar added.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Saurish Sahai noted that the recovered body parts suggest the tiger was a young adult. “The largest canine measured 5.9 cm, with the others averaging 5 cm. The nails were around 1.5 inches long. These parts will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India’s forensic lab for examination,” he said.
A departmental case under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act has been registered against the accused.
