Main Wildlife Criminal In Royal Bengal Tiger Skin Racket Arrested By Odisha STF

Bhubaneswar: Days after apprehending and recovering a skin of a Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) from a poacher, the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police arrested another wildlife criminal involved in the crime who was absconding.

The man, identified as Purna Chandra Majhi alias Chagulu alias Tambudu, had procured the tiger skin which was seized from the possession of Dev Kumar Patra at Sridamchandrapur village under Udala tehsil on December 14, STF said in a press note.

Chagulu had been on the run ever since the tiger skin was seized and Patra was arrested. Two more persons were subsequently arrested on the basis of information obtained from Patra, while STF had launched a hunt for Chagulu.

Acting on an intelligence input, a team of STF and forest officials of Baripada Forest Division conducted a joint raid and nabbed Chagulu, a resident of Sasangabeda village under Udala police station in Mayurbhanj district, on Friday.

With this, a total four accused persons have been arrested in the case so far and further investigation is in progress, it added