Baripada: The Forest department has been carrying out its investigation into the poaching of an elephant by hunters and the subsequent burning of its carcass by some forest officials in Jenabil range of Similipal sanctuary to hide the poaching incident, but officials are yet to trace the tusks cut away by poachers despite raids being carried out in various areas of Mayurbhanj district. The incident had come to the fore December 7, 2022. The officials are said to have lost their sleep over the failure to nab the poachers and seize the tusks.
Notably, three forest officials who were involved in the burning of the jumbo carcass have been suspended and later arrested following a reproach from the High Court. Meanwhile, various outfits including Bhanja Sena and wildlife activists are upset over the miserable progress of the investigation. They have demanded CBI investigation into this wildlife crime. They have accused the Forest department of being inefficient in cracking a serious wildlife crime, that too inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), where security is supposed to be stricter.
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As part of the investigation, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) SK Popli and Chief Conservator of Forests Manoj V Nair have visited the Similipal sanctuary twice, but there has been no breakthrough in the probe. A couple of days ago, a team of 50 forest officials raided the house of a suspect at Kathuria village under Kaptipada police limits at midnight, but failed to get their hands on anything. Wildlife activists suspected that since raids are yielding no result, poachers might have concealed the tusks either in a cave or beneath the ground in the vast and sprawling sanctuary. They also might have trafficked the tusks out of the state. There is a need for a high-level probe into the incident, they observed.
On the other hand, STF of the state Crime Branch has been carrying out an investigation into the seizure of the Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) hide, which had been killed in Similipal. Three people have been arrested in this connection. This investigation to has failed to make any headway
