According to reports, the staffers of Athagarh Forest Division arrested a poacher on Thursday and seized a horn of a deer and a country-made gun from his possession.
Talking to the media, the Forest officials said that the arrested poacher, identified as Matia Swain, was involved in the poaching of elephants in the Athgarh Forest Range. Besides, he had also killed elephants in Badamba and Narasinghpur Forest Range.
“The accused during interrogation admitted that his gang used to target tuskers in Athagarh, Badamba and Narasinghpur Forest Range and sell the tusks in Nayagarh district at a price ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The accused has been forwarded to the court,” they added.
In another incident, Isadhara Lakra of Dudhapasi village was arrested for killing a tusker inside Pravasuni Forest Range in Deogarh district, whose decomposed carcass was found on September 27.
The Forest officials said that after killing the elephant, the accused and his associates had severed the trunk of the jumbo and removed its tusk.
