Sonepur: Subarnapur forest department officials Saturday recovered two pieces of tusks of the tusker that was poached in Sarasadad jungle under Ulunda forest range in the second week of last November. Two persons were also arrested taking the total number of arrests in connection with this case to eight.
The accused men, Surendra Karna (46) and his nephew Kalia Karna (23), from Meghanad village under Ulunda police limits were produced in a court Sunday.
The recovered tusks are of equal measures, each measuring 65 centimetres long, 18 centimetres of the circumference and they weigh one and a half kilograms each. A two-wheeler was also seized from them.
That said, the main accused is still at large, forest department said.
The forest department said the tusker was poached by laying electric wire in Sarasadad jungle under Ulunda forest range just five kilometres from Kotasamalai forest beat house in the second week of November last year. Later the carcass was recovered with the tusks missing.
Taking serious note of the incident, divisional forest officer (DFO) Sushant Kumar Samantray had then suspended local ranger Janarddan Swain and forest guard Pragyan Paramita Mishra on charges of dereliction of duty. Six accused were arrested earlier in this connection.
In the meantime, the forest department was tipped off about a middleman who was finding buyers for Surendra and Kalia. A ranger in plain clothes contacted the middleman as a prospect buyer. The deal was settled at Rs 2 Lakh.
According to the plan, Surendra and Kalia came to the designated place along with the tusks wrapped in a polythene sheets Saturday. As they reached the particular spot on Radhanagar-Dhelei road in Ulunda block, forest department officials came out of the hidings and nabbed them. If required, Surendra and Kalia will be brought on remand, informed DFO Samantray.
PNN