Maharashtra to involve central probe agencies to curb tiger poaching

An official said that the Maharashtra forest department has decided to take the help of central probe agencies including the ED to tackle tiger poaching following links of such an incident in Chandrapur having been traced to Shillong reported news agency PTIThe decision has been taken as there have also been incidents of smuggling of the feline body parts to Myanmar and other countries he saidLast month a tiger was found dead along with weapons used for poaching and wearable accessories under the Rajura forest range in ChandrapurA special investigation team SIT has arrested several persons in the tiger poaching case including one who was apprehended from Shillong in Meghalaya reported PTIThe Wildlife Crime Control Bureau WCCB a central government agency issued a red alert on February 1 to the field directors of tiger reserves across the country urging them to intensify patrolling to prevent poaching of big cats reported PTIMaharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday held a meeting here with authorities concerned to discuss the alleged involvement of the Bahelia gang in the tiger poaching case reported in Rajura reported PTIHe said the persons arrested in the tiger poaching case should be thoroughly interrogatedSpeaking to PTI Chief Wildlife Conservator Vivek Khandekar who attended the meeting said The SIT set up for the probe into the tiger poaching case in Rajura forest range found its smuggling links extending to Shillong Our experience shows that the skin of big cats and their body parts are sometimes smuggled across the border to Myanmar China and other countriesTherefore it was decided to increase the involvement of special probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate in such cases he said reported PTIKhandekar said since their jurisdiction is limited they share intelligence and other essential information with central agencies which can coordinate with international bodies to track and apprehend the persons involvedIt has also been decided to enhance electronic surveillance near forest areas as suspects frequently change their devices and SIM cards he saidDuring the meeting Minister Naik said the bank accounts of the persons arrested in the poaching case and related individuals should also be checkedAssistance from other relevant departments should be taken for the investigation he said reported PTIAlong with strict action modern technologies should be deployed to prevent tiger poaching Special teams should be formed in other areas similar to the one in Melghat A proposal to form such teams should be sent to the government urgently Naik said reported PTIThe network of such poaching gangs must be dismantled To achieve this patrolling should be increased CCTV cameras should be installed along the tiger movement routes an informant network should be developed suspects should be monitored closely and necessary equipment should be made available immediately he saidThe forest minister also urged the involvement of local communities who could play a crucial role in preventing tiger poachingThey should be provided with the necessary training and actively involved in increased patrolling Cooperation from other departments should also be sought to support this effort he said reported PTIAccording to the forest departments data 12 tigers died in various incidents across the state between December 30 2024 and January 22 2025Five tigers died due to injuries sustained during conflicts between themselves illnesses and other natural causesFour big cats died after getting electrocuted by wires set up for other animals or due to vehicle collisionsIn three cases the deaths were attributed to poaching Nine persons have been arrested in connection with these poaching incidents according to the dataThe tiger population in Maharashtra has steadily increased over the yearsIn 2006 the state had 103 tigers and the number rose to 169 by 2010 190 in 2014 and 312 in 2018The 2022 tiger census recorded a total of 444 tigersWith inputs from PTI