Foresters seize arms, arrest one with timbe

TT, Alipurduar, March 22: The forest department has conducted raids on different spots in the Buxa Tiger Reserve to crack down on poaching ahead of Holi and seized firearms, carcass of a wild boar, timber and an SUV and arrested a person.

Ujjwal Ghosh, the field director of the BTR, said today that the foresters conducted anti-poaching operation ahead of Holi every year as a section of people in the Dooars indulged in "traditional hunting" as part of the celebration.

"We have tried to make people aware of the need to refrain from poaching and participate in wildlife conservation. We had distributed leaflets and held interactions with the forest dwellers to arrest the practice of hunting. Still, some people kill herbivores during the Holi festival and that is why we raided several places in Buxa on Sunday," he said.

The foresters raided the Gangutia area and recovered five improvised guns and a cell phone. "The suspected hunters left behind the arms and escaped. In another raid in Gangutia, we found the carcass of a wild boar which we suspect had been killed by hunters. The foresters arrested a person with several cases from Raimatang, on the fringes of the BTR, and seized illegal timber and an SUV," Ghosh said.

The arrested person was Padam Chhetri, a resident of Raimatang in Alipurduar district.

A 30km stretch of the BTR along the Bengal-Assam border has thick forest cover, giving safe passage for hunters and criminals.

"We have information that over 50 poachers armed with bows and arrows and firearms sneaked into the BTR from Assam. The foresters, along with SSB personnel, are carrying search operations to nab them," said the BTR field director.