Gang involved in killing wild animals with lightning in Khapas arrested
Nagpur Deputy Conservator of Forest (DyCF) Bharat Singh Hada has also said that on the date of September 24, 2022, an accused Brijlal Kayda was detained from Rantola.
Nagpur: Khapa forest officials on Thursday arrested four members of an organized gang of poachers from Saunsar in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The gang was regularly involved in electrocuting wild animals and selling bushmeat in the Khapa range.
Nagpur Deputy Conservator of Forest (DyCF) Bharat Singh Hada has also said that on the date of September 24, 2022, an accused Brijlal Kayda was detained from Rantola, When these employees stopped him from the middle wires. “Brijlal Kayda was also moving towards installing a live wire trap from an electric pole in Nagalwadi beat to kill wild animals. Four accomplices of Brijlal Kayda were completely successful in fleeing from the spot.” Bharat Singh Hada said.
Khapa RFO Sachin Athawale has also said that Brijlal Kayda has also confessed that the gang regularly used to kill wild animals for bushmeat as well. “Besides self-consumption, they also sold meat at Saussure,” RFO said.
Four gang members were on the run for more than a month
This gang also allegedly used to lay live wire traps from 11 kV lines near forest areas during nighttime and also used to take animals with an electric shock. Many animals including nilgais, jungle cat, deer, sambars, fox, and wild boars must have been killed by the gang to date.
In the past too, there have been several cases of tigers, leopards, and slot bears dying in similar traps in the Khapa range. Forest workers have also seized 50 wooden pegs, 2 kg wire, ax, knife, and other materials used for poaching.
The four gang members were on the run for more than a month and the forest personnel was also on the lookout for them. “We took the help of Lodhikheda police and caught and arrested the poachers around midnight on Wednesday,” Athawale said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Anil Bete, Bhura Ban, Sukhram Darsama, and Wasudeo Ban, residents of Sardoni village in Saunsar tehsil.
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