Kendrapara: The Forest department personnel of Kanika forest Range under Bhitarkanika National Park have arrested a poacher, absconding since May last after committing a wildlife crime with his other associates.
Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF)-cum-range in charge of Kanika forest range Subrat Kumar Patra said poacher Janakar Mohanty of Khamarasahi under Rajnagar block was absconding since May last.
The poacher was arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday and later produced before the JMFC court of Rajnagar under various sections of Wildlife Protection Act. The court remanded him into jail custody after rejecting his bail plea.
Patra said Janakar Mohanty and his other associates allegedly killed a wild boar with hunting dogs by laying a trap inside the Bhitarkanika protected reserve forest May 18 after trespassing into the forest.
Later, they brought 9 kg of wild boar raw meat, one forelimb and skin to Janakar Mohanty’s house. The forest personnel acting on the information conducted a raid and managed to seize the wild boar meat, one forelimb and the skin of wild boar from the house of Mohanty.
The forest personnel, however, failed to arrest the poachers as they fled from the spot during the raid.
The forest personnel came to know that Janakar was hiding in Kolkata to evade arrest for his involvement in wildlife crime.
Recently, he came to his house and the personnel arrested him, in the wee hours of Tuesday. Patra said raid is on to nab the other accused involved in the crime.
(UNI)