Bhubaneswar: A poacher was arrested with a live Pangolin by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch rescued Bargarh district yesterday evening.
Acting on a tip-off, the STF sleuths conducted a raid with the help of Forest Officials of Bargarh Forest Division near Budhipalli Chhak in Ambabhona and arrested a man whom they identified as Jagadish Minz of Dunguri village of the district. He was produced before the court today.
Minz was arrested while he was waiting for a customer to strike a deal on the Pangolin.
Meanwhile, the rescued pangolin has been handed over to the Forest Range Officer, Bhatali for safe custody.
“The sleuths recovered a live Pangolin along with other incriminating material from the possession of the accused, who could not produce any documents to show by what authority he was in possession of the Pangolin. He was apprehended soon after that,” said an STF official.
On January 13, 2024 too, two people were arrested after the forest department officials seized Pangolin meat along with 16 tiger nails from them during a raid in Kurumi village of Banigochha section in the Daspalla range of Nayagarh district.
The arrested persons were identified as Prahlad Kahhara, and Bholeswar Kahhar of Kurumi. They were forwarded to the court following their arrest.
Apart from the pangolin meat and tiger nails, one country-made rifle, two arrows and bow set and other sharp weapons have also been seized from the arrested poachers.
It is to be noted here that pangolins are threatened by poaching (for their meat and scales, which are used in traditional medicine) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats, and are the most trafficked mammals in the world. However, the government has impost ban on the killing, keeping and trafficking of such pangolin. Stringent action is being taken against people who are caught with the mammals.
Ms Kalinga