The Maharashtra forest official said that three men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly causing the death of a tigress in eastern Maharashtra's Bhandara district. According to the preliminary investigation, the accused had laid an electrified wire to kill a wild boar. However, the tigress came in contact with it and was electrocuted instead.
The accused cut the carcass of the three-year-old tigress into four pieces had hid it. The forest department took the help of sniffer dogs from Pench Tiger Reserve (Nagpur) and the Gondia Forest department to find the culprits.
Providing the details, the officials said that Pachara village resident Raju Piratram Warkade was questioned as a sniffer dog led police directly to his house. Also, the carcass was found in compartment number 74 in Jhanjhariya in the Tumsar forest range on Monday near the field of Raju. The carcass has burn marks too.
The big knife used to chop the carcass into pieces was also recovered. Upon questioning, Warkade revealed the names of Rajendra Mahadeo Kunjam and Durgesh Ratiram Lasunte, both residents of Navegaon in Tumsar tehsil. All three were arrested, the official added.
The accused had laid a live wire to poach a wild boar on January 2 but it caused the death of the tigress hence a case was registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and further probe was underway, the officials said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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