Pangolin scales
MADURAI: In joint operation, personnel from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), forest department officials and the Theni district police arrested five men and seized 5.75 kg of pangolin scales from them. The value of the seizure is estimated at several lakh rupees. The illegal trail came to light based of a tip-off received by the WCCB.
An official said that pangolins that are protected under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are hunted for misconception over their medicinal value. It is mostly exported to China. Based on the tip-off, P Sekar, 50, of Kadamalaikundu village near Andipatti in Theni was picked for questioning.
Elephant tusks seized, six held
Following a tip-off about the tusks being sold through a pet shop near Shanmugapuram, a team of WCCB and forest staff, disguised as buyers, confirmed that the accused were selling the tusks.
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COIMBATORE: Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) officials, along with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), seized a pair of elephant tusks on Tuesday. Six persons, including an anti-poaching watcher, were arrested.
According to sources, the accused have been identified as P Manikandan (38), owner of a pet shop, K Samiyappan, an anti-poaching watcher at Pollachi forest range in ATR, A Kathavarayan, a sanitary worker, M Sikkanthar Basha, footwear shopkeeper, K Sharathi a grove labourer, and A Nandhakumar, who works as a lab assistant at a private college.
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COIMBATORE: The forest department arrested an anti-poaching watcher and five others at Pollachi on Tuesday for attempting to sell a pair of tusks.
After receiving a tip from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) that tusks were sold at a pet shop in NM Sungam, Pollachi, two teams of the forest department and WCCB officials visited the shop around 8pm on Tuesday, a forest official said.
Posing as customers from Kerala, officials inquired about tusks. When shopowner P Manikandan feigned ignorance, officials said that they had purchased tusks from him before. When the owner acknowledged the claim, officials requested him to present the tusks to verify their authenticity. As soon as tusks were presented, officials seized them and detained Manikandan, the forest official added.
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2 Elephant Tusks Seized From Pet Shop, 7 Arrested
Two elephant tusks were seized from a pet shop near Pollachi in the district and seven people, including a sanitation worker and Anti-Poaching Watcher arrested on Wednesday, forest department officials said.
Two elephant tusks were seized from a pet shop near Pollachi in the district and seven people, including a sanitation worker and Anti-Poaching Watcher arrested on Wednesday, forest department officials said.
Acting on a tip off, the officials from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (Southern Region) went to the shop at Shanmughapuram, posing as prospective customers last night.
A few forest officials also joined the team, and recovered the tusks kept concealed there and questioned the owner.
Six arrested for attempt to sell tusks
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The Forest Department have arrested six persons, including an anti-poaching watcher (APW), on charges of attempting to sell a pair of elephant tusks.
Officials said on Wednesday that the six accused APW K. Samiyappan (30), a temporary worker with the Forest Department, A. Kathavarayan (50), brokers M. Sikendhar Basha (37), P. Manikandan (38) and A. Nanthakumar (39) and a security guard at a private farm K. Sarathi (67) were arrested on Tuesday evening.
In a joint operation with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Forest officials from Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) raided a pets shop on Pollachi-Valparai Road on Tuesday evening and seized the tusks. The raid followed inputs from WCCB, Chennai.