Prime accused in melanistic tiger poaching case held from Gujarat | Bhubaneswar News
Balasore: Prime accused in the poaching of a melanistic tiger from Similipal Tiger Reserve was arrested from Gujarat on Saturday after a prolonged interstate manhunt, forest officials said on Tuesday.The accused has been identified as Rabindra Naik (24), a resident of Baniadarah village in Mayurbhanj district.According to reports, Naik was apprehended on May 4 during a joint operation involving the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), central region (Bhopal), Odisha police and state intelligence agencies.Naik had been on the run since the poaching case came to light. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the killing of a melanistic tiger in Similipal on Jan 15. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, authorities tracked him to Gujarat and brought him back to Baripada.Forest officials recovered the firearm used in the killing, along with four tiger claws from Naik’s possession. Forensic evidence, including fingerprints collected from the crime scene, further strengthened the case against Naik.Naik was produced before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in Baripada on May 5, who rejected his bail plea and remanded him in judicial custody.DIG (eastern range), Satyajit Naik, said, “Odisha police played a crucial role in tracking down the prime accused by providing timely intelligence and technical support to the forest department to apprehend the poacher in Gujarat.”Samrat Gowda, deputy director of Similipal South wildlife division, said that 11 individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the poaching case. However, four suspects are still at large. The court has issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against them, and the forest department will apprehend them soon.“Stringent action will be taken against all those involved,” Gowda said.
