STF nabs two poachers with two leopard skins: Rayagada- a hub of wildlife criminals
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, November 8: Getting a tip off from its intelligence wing, Special Task Force(STF) from Crime Branch Bhubaneswar nabbed two wildlife criminals named Bikram Majhi and Raja Majhi, who are residents of Chandrapur area in Rayagada during a raid.
The team conducted a raid at the Tamparbiduni Chowk under Chandili police limits and apprehended the two criminals who were waiting for a customer to hand over the leopard skins. A case was registered under various Sections of the IPC and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The accused were arrested and forwarded to Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate’s(SDJM) court in Rayagada. These skins will be sent to Director Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for examination, according to STF.
In a similar manner, during fag end of last May, three leopard skins were seized by STF, Bhubaneswar, who arrested a person named, following a raid on Rayagada-Koraput NH-326 near Siriguda-Swargdham in Rayagada district. The accused was identified as Dambrudhar Majhi of Naktiguda village under Tikri police station limits.
In yet another case during STF, Bhubaneswar seized one leopard skin from the possession of a wildlife criminal named Jayanta Bibhar of Bandipanka under Chandrapur Police Station during a raid on NH 326 near Bangi junction, Ramanguda under Gunupur Police Station.
Generally the seized leopard hides are locally procured by the accused to sell it at a higher price. Mainly the poor people from adivasi and dalit communities are involved. The places from where the poachers procure need to be investigated. It is unfortunate that, each time, neither the local forest deptt nor the police is not able to get information about these unlawful activities.Though Vana Sangarakhyan Samitis(VSS) and Forest Rights Committees(FRCs) exist in more than thousands of villages of Rayagada, there is hardly any effort in spreading community awareness regarding wild life acts. Special drive against the wildlife criminals/poachers needs to be aggressively accelerated in the district. The concerned deptts need to be really alert or otherwise the local bio-diversity of the district will be seriously affected, said Rabindra Patakhandal, a pro-biodiversity activist.
