4, including priest held for transporting tiger skin in Adilabad

India: Four persons were arrested by sleuths of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Forest Department and TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, for allegedly transporting of a tiger’s skin in Echoda mandal on Saturday. They were produced before the media in Adilabad on Saturday.

Skin of the carnivore was seized from their possession. One more accused is still at large. The sleuths of WCCB said that the four accused, including a priest of Gourapur in Indervelli mandal, were held in a joint operation by two organisations and the voluntary organisation, following a tip-off. The identity of the culprits was not disclosed to media.

The culprits were trapped in a decoy operation executed by the sleuths, officials of Forest Department and volunteers of TRAFFIC. Currently, the officials are probing as to where and when the big cat was eliminated and how they could secure the skin, stated an official. Field director to Kawal Tiger Reserve C Sharavanan and Adilabad District Forest Officer was not available for comment when repeated attempts made by this reporter.

(Source: The Telangana Today)