Baripada, May 9: Forest officials on Friday arrested three poachers and seized guns and bullets from their possession inside the Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
The arrested poachers are Lachhu Murmu (48), Madhusudan Murmu, also known as Rabi (38), and Ghasiram Tudu, also known as Basu (35). All of them are from Mayurbhanj district.
As per reports, the trio was nabbed after their movements were captured by an AI-powered Trailguard cameras installed in the forest.
The Forest Department officials recovered three Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) guns and 17 cartridges, including five live rounds, from their possession and seized them.
After their arrest, the three men were taken to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Baripada. Their request for bail was denied, and they were sent to judicial custody.
Forest officials said the three men are repeat offenders and were using modern guns for poaching, instead of traditional country-made ones.
A case has been filed against them under the Arms Act, 1959. Further investigations are underway to check if they are involved in other wildlife crimes and if there is a bigger poaching network in the area, said an official.
