BHOPAL: The forest department has arrested two accused in connection with leopard electrocution in Dindori under Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.
Earlier a female leopard died due to electrocution on Tuesday. Forest department had deployed its team for investigation. The team arrested Kul Singh Kushram and Dasrath Pandram, both of Dadargaon village. Trap of electric wire was found during search and investigation in the Karangia range. However, leopard electrocution also exposed lacuna on part of forest department and poachers took the advantage of the laxity of the department.
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve director Vincent Rahim said, “We had sent a team of doctors but we failed to save female leopard. Rescue team tried its best but could not save the leopard.”
A similar case of leopard electrocution was also brought to notice in Umaria in November where the forest department team had spotted carcass in Birsinghpur beat of Pali forest range in the same tiger reserve. The post mortem report had revealed electrocution as the cause of death. However, there is no electricity line within three kilometers of the radius of the place and a probe order was given to know the exact cause of the death. However, prima facie, the forest department believed that farmers generally flow current in the electric wire around their agriculture field for protection from wild boars. This leopard might have come in contact with electric wire and got electrocuted. The forest team had interrogated local villagers in this connection.
