Poaching gang busted in Jharkhand, 1 arrested

Medininagar: A poaching gang has been busted in Jharkhand’s Latehar district and one of its members arrested, a senior forest department official said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of officials raided Betla forest in the district on Sunday and nabbed the poacher from its core area, he said.

Two country-made pistols were seized from his possession, Forest Ranger, Mahuadand area, Vrida Pandey, said.

“Upon interrogation, the accused, 55-year-old Nicolas Kujur, claimed that six others, who had accompanied him into the forest, fled on seeing the officials,” Pandey said.

A case has been registered under the Forest and Animal Protection Act, 1972, he said, adding that the absconders have been identified and efforts were underway to nab them.