Alleged tiger poacher arrested by WCCB

Bheema, an alleged poacher wanted in connection with the killing of a tiger, has been arrested by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), an official press release said here today.

It said the arrest was made from the Ballabhgarh area in Haryana in a joint operation by the WCCB and the Gurgaon police with assistance from other agencies.

According to the release, a case of poaching had been registered against Bheema and tiger bones, body parts, several traps and implements were recovered from his house in Gurgaon by the WCCB and the Gurgaon Police in July last year.

He had been absconding since then and was declared a proclaimed offender. The authorities also suspected he was involved in the killing of several tigers and leopards in north India and that he had links with middlemen and traders in the illegal wildlife trade.

The release said that his arrest was expected to provide vital clues to the organized poaching and illegal trade networks in the country.

"This apprehension is in continuation to the efforts of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in busting wildlife crime modules in a coordinated approach with assistance from various intelligence, security and enforcement agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," the release added.

NNN