Umaria, April 9 Days after the mutilated carcass of a tiger was discovered in a forest area of Umaria district, the Forest Department has arrested five accused in connection with the poaching case, a forest official told IANS on Thursday.
The breakthrough came after an intensive operation led by a team of the Madhya Pradesh State Forest Development Corporation in the Chandia range.
The five accused, all residents of Majhgawa village, were taken into custody following technical surveillance and inputs from local informants, Umaria Divisional Forest Officer Amit Pataudi told IANS.
He stated that during the operation, officials also recovered wooden pegs and galvanised iron wires, which were allegedly used to set up the illegal electrical trap in the forest.
Investigations revealed that the tiger was killed by electrocution in Compartment P-111, where the accused had laid a deadly trap using live electric wires.
Pataudi said the preliminary investigation indicates that the accused had been involved in poaching activities for a considerable period, targeting wild animals by laying electrified wires deep inside forest areas. Any animal coming into contact with these wires would be instantly killed.
He added that after the tiger was electrocuted, the accused panicked and attempted to conceal the crime. They reportedly dragged the carcass to another location and tried to dispose of it.
One of the accused is suspected of having removed the tiger’s teeth, raising concerns about possible links to wildlife trafficking.
Pataudi further stated that the accused persons will be produced before the Umaria district court.
Authorities have intensified patrolling and surveillance in the region to prevent similar incidents.
With this case, the number of tiger deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh this year has risen to 18, raising fresh concerns over wildlife protection in the state.
The decomposed carcass of the tiger was found earlier this week in bushes within the jurisdiction of the Forest Development Corporation on Monday.
--IANS
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