G Udayagiri: A poacher was arrested red-handed while setting jungle patches on fire in Badamaha forest range in Kandhamal district Friday. He has been identified as Mitu Pradhan. Range officer Sunil Sahu said a case has been registered against Mitu under the Wildlife Act. He will be produced in a court Friday itself.
According to the forest department sources, guards Ajit Ganda and Bishnu Prasad Rath, who were deployed to keep a watch on wildfire, were tipped off about Mitu setting fire at a place in the Badamaha forest to poach animals.
They immediately rushed towards the spot in the jungle and nabbed him red-handed. They also seized a country-made gun, live bullets, an axe, a sharp weapon and a mobile phone from Mitu’s possession.
Notably, three poachers were arrested for their involvement in wildfires in Ranjagada reserve forest in Dhenkanal district March 11. The same day, the Forest department of Mayurbhanj district had arrested a poacher who was a starting wildfire. An axe, a gun and seven kilograms of porcupine meat were seized from his possession.
Earlier, three poachers were arrested while trying to set Jharabeda reserve forest on fire in an attempt to hunt animals March 5.
PNN