Saturday, 25 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Kumaon unit of Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) along with Delhi’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Forest department arrested two interstate wildlife smugglers with gall bladders of four bears from Chamoli. The senior superintendent of police of STF Ayush Agrawal said that the arrested accused Balwant Singh (55) and Meherban Singh (60) belong to a big inter-state network involved in wildlife trafficking and have been under the STF’s radar for a considerable time. After receiving confidential information, the joint teams of STF’s Kumaon unit, police, forest department and WCCB arrested both from the Tharali area of Chamoli district late on Thursday. The team also recovered gall bladders of four bears weighing 460 grammes from the accused. The SSP said that they revealed during the interrogation that they have been involved in wildlife trafficking in Uttarakhand for the past several years. According to them, they used to hunt bears in the Himalayan region and take out their gall bladders. They dry the bladders and sell them at higher prices, Agrawal said. He informed that the STF has registered a case against both accused in the Tharali police station under the relevant acts. He said that STF is the nodal agency to handle wildlife crimes in the State and is actively working with other authorities concerned to act against wildlife trafficking. He also appealed to the public to inform authorities concerned regarding such smugglers and associated crimes or call STF at 01352656202.
