Pune Customs has busted a gang of six people, including two women, who were involved in poaching for many years, an official said on Monday.
Watch Video:
"In a meticulously planned operation by Pune Customs officials, in collaboration with Nagpur Customs, an illegal trade of tigress skin was successfully intercepted in the early morning hours of July 26 on Bhusawal Road, Jalgaon, leading to the arrest of six individuals. They have been identified as Ajvar Sujat Bhosale (35), Rahim Pardhi (45), Teva Bai Pardhi (40), Kakana Bai (30), Nadim Shaikh (26), and Mohammad Athar Khan (58)," said the official.
According to the official, "The accused Rahim Pardhi is the leader of the gang and responsible for the tigress' killing. While investigating the matter, it came to light that the poachers poisoned a carcass of a Nilgai in the Jalgaon forest division, waiting for the tigress to return and feed on it. Once the tigress consumed the poisoned meat, it fell ill and turned weak. The poachers then drowned the tigress in water and killed it. The tigress was skinned in the forests of Madhya Pradesh by the accused around 45 days ago. The rest of the body parts were dumped in the forest ground."
.jpg)
The seized tigress skin and the suspects have been handed over to the jurisdictional forest department for further investigation.
This remarkable case marks one of the first instances where the Customs teams from Pune and Nagpur, typically stationed at ports and border points, conducted an on-ground investigation leading to a significant wildlife crime bust at the source. Notably, the team of officers from Pune Customs had previously been involved in the seizure of a leopard skin less than six months ago and a tiger trophy less than a month ago.
Under Section 50 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, all six accused have been booked for their involvement in the illegal wildlife trade.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Yashodhan Wanage, Commissioner of Pune Customs, said, "We got a tip-off about the illegal trade in Jalgaon. Acting on the tip-off, our team intercepted six people and detained a woman who had wrapped the tigress skin around her body to hide it."
"The price of the skin in the international market is about ₹5 crore. It has been identified as per the investigation that the skin was new, and had been skinned 40 to 45 days earlier," he added.
.jpeg)