Telangana –Maharashtra police bust tiger poaching

ADILABAD: Forest officials here claim that poachers have selected the Telangana state-Maharastra border area for poaching forest animals including tigers as they think that they could easily escape by crossing the borders.

To prevent this, forest officials of the two states for the first time conducted a joint operation along with police and revenue officials and busted a case of tiger poaching.

The big cat was electrocuted on the outskirts of Mosam village in Aheri-Alapelli village in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on December 25, 2021. Its skin, four claws and head were removed and the carcass buried.

S. Shantharam, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district forest officer, said they had conducted the joint operation since the tiger killing was an inter-state case in which villagers and poachers from the two states were involved.

“We have found that poachers are going to Maharashtra after killing animals in the Telangana state border area, and vis versa,” said Shantharam.

Forest officials have so far seized eight claws and 10 whiskers of tigers from the poachers during search operations.

Nine persons were involved in sharing the tiger body parts after it was killed. Among them, four are from Digida village of Dahegoan mandal of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

Villagers of Mosam were involved in setting up electric wires that resulted in the death of the tiger. Villagers of Digida, who happened to be their relatives, shared the body parts when they attended a marriage function in Mosam.

Forest officials said that three accused of Digida village were absconding and they may get the information about the remaining body parts of the tiger once they are caught.