Baripada (Mayurbhanj): Forest officials on Tuesday arrested a poacher and seized the skin of a 3-year-old tiger cub in a major anti-poaching operation in Mayurbhanj. The accused has been identified as Raju Alda.
According to Baripada Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Gobinda Chandra Biswal, the tiger cub had been killed by poachers about a month ago. Intelligence revealed that the culprits were in touch with a trader to sell the tiger skin.
Acting on this tip-off, forest officials posed as traders and visited Sarasposi village, near the Bangriposi forest range, to apprehend the poacher while attempting to buy the skin.
Unaware of the trap, Alda took the tiger skin out of a bag, at which point Bangriposi forest ranger Maheswar Singh and his team intercepted him. Ranger Singh confirmed that the operation was carried out under the guidance of DFO Biswal.
The accused told officials that he came only to sell the skin and implicated another youth from the village. The forest department stated that the other person resides in Charabandh village under Bangriposi block of Talabandha range in Simlipal.
Raju Alda has been medically examined and arrested. The DFO confirmed that further investigation is underway to track other persons involved in the poaching and illegal trade.
