Most-wanted poacher held

Laxman was wanted for poaching tigers and panthers in Melghat. His accomplice Sachmer Singh, alias Dadi Pardhi, was arrested on January 22.

Last week, the Melghat Forest officials had arrested one Kamlabai Pardhi at a temple in Anjangaon Surji town in Amravati district. According to Kamlabai, four years ago Kamlabai, along with Dadi, Laxman and Chhatte Singh, had transported tiger and leopard skins to poacher Sansar Chand’s Delhi residence. Chhatte Singh is already in the custody of the Rajasthan Police. Thus with the arrest of Laxman, the entire syndicate of poachers and traders operating from Melghat has been busted.

In January this year, the police had raided Laxman’s residence at Partapur village in Betul district and arrested Dadi. They had also recovered a few tiger bones as well as three guns. Laxman, however, had managed to escape.

Meanwhile, activists like Nitin Desai of WPSI and Kishore Rithe of Satpuda Foundation have been doubting the Forest Department’s claims of Melghat having 70-odd tigers, saying that there may not be more than 30 big cats left in the tiger reserve. Subsequently, a survey done by the Wildlife Institute of India established that Melghat may actually have just about 40 tigers.