Sundargarh: In a major crackdown on wildlife poaching, Forest Department officials on Friday conducted raids at Sialikudar and Bijaghat villages under the Kuliposh forest range in the Bonai forest division of Sundargarh district.
The operation led to the arrest of five poachers and the seizure of a cache of illegal arms and wildlife products.
A team of Forest Department personnel, led by Kuliposh Forest Range Officer Suchismita Dash, carried out the coordinated raids.
During the operation, officials recovered seven country-made guns, one air gun, gunpowder, bows and arrows, wire snares, and other hunting equipment. Additionally, wildlife contraband, including a monitor lizard skin, deer horns, and dried deer meat, was also confiscated from the accused.
The arrests are part of the Forest Department’s intensified efforts to curb poaching in Bonai region. Further investigation is underway to identify links to any wider poaching networks.
