Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Three accused were arrested by the State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), Indore, and presented in court in a case of smuggling of vultures. The accused were arrested from Sikka port, Jamnagar, Gujarat, and brought to Indore division on Monday. The smugglers are part of a large-scale international smuggling racket. The three accused are named Husain, Atik and Mohammad and were arrested by the team just after they had sent an illegal shipment.
The forest department team has brought the accused to Indore for questioning. The accused are suspects in an international smuggling case involving vultures from Madhya Pradesh.
The Centre has directed the forest department team to swing into action and uncover the whole matter. The arrested accused in this case are yet to be interrogated. It is believed that there are many revelations to be brought out related to smuggling of vultures.
At present, the accused have been kept in the Navlakha Forest Department, where they are being interrogated. According to initial analysis and sources, the accused have strong political connections in the state, which is making this a high-profile case.
Hunt for the three accused in Gujarat
§ The STSF team from Madhya Pradesh reached Gujarat three days ago
§ A team of eight people, including STSF ranger Dharamveer Solanki, caught three accused from Gujarat and brought them to Indore on Monday
§ However, the forest department officials are not ready to divulge information to the media on this matter before the inquiry proceedings are over
Smuggling of Egyptian vultures from the state
In this special operation, a few days ago, smuggler Farid Sheikh was arrested by the forest department in Khandwa. The 60-year-old Sheikh was found to be a resident of Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh who was in an S12 coach.
The team of officials found seven Egyptian vultures, three of them female, in a large plastic bag he was carrying. Back then, seven white vultures were also confiscated from him.
Sheikh was in transit with these vultures to Malegaon. During primary interrogations, the accused said that Kanpur resident Sameer Khan had offered him Rs 10,000 if he carried the vultures to Manmad and delivered them to Hasim of Malegaon. The Khandwa forest department has registered a case under sections 9, 39, 44, 48A, 49 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The forest department and STSF team had come to know during interrogations that the vultures were to be sent to the Gulf countries by sea.
The elite class in Gulf countries keep these white vultures as pets in their homes and use them as a sign of luxury. White vultures are used in tantric activities.
Pressure from higher-ups
§ As the case of vulture smuggling is international, the Centre has put pressure on the forest department to disclose this matter, but higher-ups seem to have put a gag order on the matter
§ Forest department sources noted that pressure was coming from higher-ups to save some of the accused, due to which the forest department officers are not able to work openly in this matter
§ Therefore, on Monday, the forest department officials avoided giving out information about the three suspected smugglers who were caught from Gujarat
