Tiger whiskers seized in Chanda, 4 arrested

Chandrapur: Foresters at the Padmapur gate leading to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) seized 12 tiger whiskers and arrested four people on Friday afternoon. The accused have been remanded in forest custody for three days.
The Padmapur gate is at the border of the buffer zone of TATR. It is the entry point to the tiger reserve from Chandrapur city. Foresters posted at the gate intercepted two bike borne persons coming from Moharli to Tadoba and checked their belongings. They were shocked to find 12 tiger whiskers in their possession.
TOI has learnt that the accused were heading to Chandrapur where they had made a deal with some buyers.
Foresters immediately apprehended the accused and informed senior officials who rushed to the spot. During the investigation, two more names of people involved in the racket came to the fore and they too were arrested. The accused have been identified as Narendra Choudhari, Suhash Pendalwar, Kalishal Dadmal and Manoj Shende.
CCF and field director, TATR, NR Pravin ratified the arrested and claimed that court has sent them to three days of forest custody remand. The accused are from Mudholi and Bhamdheli, the two villages which are in the buffer zone. Whether the accused poached a tiger or collected the whiskers from the carcass is still a mystery.
Sources claimed that more people could be involved in the racket and more arrests are likely to be made.