8 arrested by forest department for blackbuck poaching in Sriganganagar

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Jaisalmer: The state forest department arrested eight individuals accused of poaching a protected blackbuck in the Suratgarh range of Sriganganagar district Sunday. The arrests followed a raid carried out by forest officials, prompted by a tip-off regarding illegal hunting activities in the area.The crime was allegedly committed in a grazing zone at Chak 18 LGW under the Sardarpura Bika Gram Panchayat within the Suratgarh forest range. Acting on the information regarding the poaching, Range Forest Officer Rudra Pratap Shukla led a team to the suspected site, where a search operation revealed alarming evidence: both raw and cooked blackbuck meat, the skin of the animal, and its mutilated carcass, confirming the hunting of the protected species.All eight individuals present at the scene were immediately detained by the forest officials. Following this, a post-mortem examination of the blackbuck’s remains was performed Sunday to ascertain the circumstances surrounding its death. On Monday, the suspects were presented before a local court and subsequently placed in police remand, enabling further investigation into the case and recovery of the weapons and tools utilised in the poaching.

The arrested individuals were identified as Rajuram, Sunil Kumar, Kaluram, Vinod Kumar, Mainpal, Praveen Kumar, Pritam Pal Singh, and one other person whose name is currently withheld.Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rakesh Dular said the ongoing investigation aims to identify any additional individuals who may have been involved in this illegal act. The operation was bolstered by the cooperation of wildlife volunteers and representatives from the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, who accompanied the forest department during the raid.In response to this incident, forest officials announced that patrolling efforts in the area will be enhanced to deter similar acts of poaching in the future, warning that anyone found hunting protected wildlife will face strict legal repercussions.