PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Haridwar
Three persons absconding in the tigers’ poaching case at Shyampur in Haridwar were arrested by the authorities while one remains absconding.
A tiger’s carcass was found in the Shyampur range on Monday evening while a tigress’ carcass was found nearby on Tuesday. Both had their paws chopped off. Senior Forest department staff also reached the site considering the seriousness of the crime and one accused was arrested on Tuesday.
The three Van Gujjars arrested on Thursday were identified as Ashiq and Juppi, both residents of the Van Gujjar settlement in Shyampur while the third- Yusuf is a resident of the Van Gujjar settlement in Gaindikhata. Alam was arrested earlier, presented in the court and sent to jail from there. The fifth accused absconding in the case has been identified as Amir with the department team conducting searches to nab him.
Haridwar divisional forest officer Swapnil Aniruddh said that the three accused arrested on Thursday will be presented in the court while the absconding accused is expected to be nabbed soon. The arrested accused claimed that they had killed the big cats to avenge the killing of their buffalo by the tigers. They poisoned the buffalo’s carcass with a farm pesticide. The accused then chopped the paws of the two tigers and were preparing to sell the pelts, claws and other organs of the big cats, officials said.
