Balasore: Five armed poachers, who allegedly stole 15 trap cameras from Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district, were arrested and some crude weapons seized from them on Saturday.
Sources said Forest department officials nabbed the poachers after they were captured on a spy camera while stealing trap cameras installed in the sanctuary in an attempt to evade detection. As many as 15 trap cameras installed by the Forest department were reportedly stolen by the poachers.
Officials said the trap cameras had been strategically placed across the sanctuary to track movement and activity, especially that of poachers. However, the poachers repeatedly removed the devices to avoid getting caught on camera. In response, the department discreetly installed a spy camera near one of the trap camera locations.
The spy camera captured visuals of five armed poachers while they were stealing a trap camera on April 28. Based on the footage and subsequent investigation, the Forest Department tracked them down and arrested them from the Chemcheta beat area under the Kuldiha range.
The arrested persons belong to Narsingsila village near the Chemcheta beat. Forest officials recovered axes, bows and arrows, gunpowder, a deer horn, and items used to make country-made firearms.
