The main accused, Ranjeet, was being monitored for several months before he was tracked down by the cyber cell team in Andhra Pradesh. Parikshit Dambhare, Nodal Officer, Wildlife Crime Cell Melghat, recalls days and hours spend in tracking the main accused, "Tracking Ranjeet took eight days, 16 hours per day. It was very difficult to track him as he kept changing his phones." The incessant chase led the Melghat cell team all the way up to Delhi and Haryana before he was finally caught in Andhra Pradesh. Ranjeet had been on the radar for quite sometime by several law enforcement agencies in India, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The gang involved was large and well networked and operating across the country. The other accused were found to have been selling tiger skins and bones within Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Around Rs. 50 lakh were recovered along with the tiger traps from the accused.
Forensic evidence that was acquired against them proved to be crucial for the Melghat cell in securing its first conviction. The cyber cell team has been now approached by Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh authorities to assist them in tracking and solving poaching cases.
Author: Purva Variyar.Â
