A brazen act of poaching unfolded in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve as suspected poachers opened fire on a forest patrol, highlighting the ongoing threat to wildlife and the challenges faced by conservation efforts.
Key Points
- Suspected poachers engaged in a gunfight with a forest department patrol in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
- The poachers escaped into the forest, abandoning a motorcycle and a wild boar carcass.
- Authorities have registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act and are conducting raids to apprehend the suspects.
- One suspect has been identified, and joint teams of police and forest department are involved in the search.
A group of suspected poachers allegedly opened fire at a forest department patrolling team in the Barahi range of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) here, before fleeing into the dense forest under the cover of darkness, officials said on Thursday.
While the poachers managed to escape, the forest department team recovered a motorcycle and the carcass of a wild boar from the spot.
Deputy Director of PTR, Manish Singh, told PTI that the encounter took place late Wednesday during a routine patrol in the Simra Beat-II area.
According to officials, a team led by Forest Sub-Inspector Kapil Kumar and Forest Guard Anil Kumar, stationed at the Simra check-post, had cordoned off an area in Simra Beat-II following intelligence that smugglers were planning to transport wildlife meat on motorcycles.
When the team intercepted the suspects, the smugglers started firing indiscriminately.
The forest personnel retaliated, and under mounting pressure, the poachers abandoned their bike and the wild boar carcass before disappearing into the forest.
Investigation and Ongoing Efforts
"Following the face-off, a case was registered on Thursday under the Wildlife Protection Act against unidentified persons. A written complaint has also been submitted to the Madhotanda police station to lodge an FIR against the accused," Singh said.
Police said one suspect has been identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of Raghavpuri.
Joint teams of police and forest department are currently conducting raids to nab the absconding accused, they said.
The recovered items have been taken to the range office for further investigation, they added.
