The extensive investigation by the joint Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Rajura tiger poaching case led them to bust a major tiger poaching and smuggling syndicate spread across the country’s tiger reserves. Also, it found that the syndicate was connected with international illegal wildlife trade in South East Asian countries. The joint SIT filed the charge-sheet regarding the inter-State tiger poaching case in Rajura forest range of Central Chanda Forest Division before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Rajura, on Tuesday. Baheliya group of Katni district of Madhya Pradesh, which is infamous for wildlife poaching, specially of tigers, is behind this poaching racket in the country.

 

“The reach of Baheliyas is everywhere in the country. During the festival of Holi, every member of this tribe gathers and distributes area of poaching. As per our investigation, we found that more than 60 tigers in various tiger reserves were killed for their body parts since 2022,” a source aware about the investigation told ‘The Hitavada’. The Baheliya group, arrested from Rajura by the Maharashtra Forest Department, was in Rajura forest area since June last year. During the intervening six months, it was involved in number of tiger poaching incidents. “As per our estimation, we can say that this tribe has already poached many tigers from Jim Corbett National Park to Kanha Tiger Reserve, and its presence is everywhere in the country,” said the source.

 

The joint SIT recovered body parts in huge quantity from the possession of the group which was supposed to head towards East and South-East Asian countries via Mizoram and Manipur. According to the source, the quantum of bank transaction tracked from different accounts was more than Rs 7 crore during these three years. “Though it is difficult to calculate the cost of a tiger in the international market, we can estimate it around Rs 10 lakh per tiger’s body part,” said the investigator. “It is for the first time in Maharashtra when the Department found huge amount of bank transactions during a poaching investigation. Also, in a first, the Department exposed a massive syndicate of poachers having links with international wildlife smugglers,” said the investigator. The joint SIT established the link between the Baheliya poachers with the traders at international border with Myanmar. The team had a tough time in getting support for the investigation from locals in Mizoram.

 

Whereas, due to the Military Junta ruling in Myanmar, the wildlife trade is not a priority for the country. Therefore, the joint SIT is taking help of Interpol to apprehend wildlife traders in East and South-East Asia. The team is also taking help of Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe financial transactions and trade between traders in India and other countries, added the investigator.

 

Due to pan India criminal links, a thorough and joint investigation of the case has been conducted in the last two months by specially formed investigation teams (SITs) at local, state and national level. Apart from the territorial Forest Department, several wings of Maharashtra Forest Department — officials from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and Special Tiger Protection Force, Social Forestry Department and Melghat Cyber Cell — have been closely involved in the investigation. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, New Delhi, National Tiger Conservation Authority, New Delhi, also were involved in the investigation, and provided required support at various levels. Madhya Pradesh Tiger Task Force, Chandrapur Police Department and Meghalaya Forest Department had also co-operated in the investigation process. Of 29 people named as prime accused, 13 have been arrested. They are, currently, in magisterial custody.