Five arrested in Delhi for smuggling Bengal tiger skins

Special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said police had received information about a Bengal tiger skin smuggling racket active in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR)

The crime branch of Delhi Police on Monday arrested five people from different parts of south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj for allegedly smuggling Bengal tiger skins. The police also recovered two Bengal tiger skins, approximately valued at ₹40 lakh in international market, from their possession,authorities said Wednesday.

The interstate unit was assigned to gather information and conduct raids. (Representational Image)

Special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said police had received information about a Bengal tiger skin smuggling racket active in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). Accordingly, the interstate unit was assigned to gather information and conduct raids. “Acting on a tip, the team laid a trap near Vasant Kunj, where a suspect, later identified as Amir Khan (25) of Rangpuri Pahari in Vasant Kunj, was arrested. The police also recovered one Bengal tiger skin from his possession. Officials of the wildlife department were called to the spot, where they confirmed its authenticity,” he said.

He added that during interrogation, Khan disclosed that two of his associates managed to flee just before he was caught. “He disclosed that the recovered skin was given to him by his associate Rahul Rawat (22) and Deepak Kumar (28). At Khan’s instance, Kumar – a resident of Prem Nagar in Gurugram – was arrested from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, while Rawat was nabbed near his residence in Vasant Kunj. During the course of the investigation, one more suspect, identified as 22-year-old Mohit (goes by single name), was also arrested from Vasant Kunj. Mohit disclosed that the recovered tiger skin was provided to them by one Shivam Sisodia (24) of Mahipalpur in Delhi and some more skins could also be recovered from him. The team conducted a raid in Mahipalpur, and nabbed Sisodia. At his instance, one more tiger skin recovered from the jungle area near Qutub Vihar,” he said.

Yadav said that during interrogation, it emerged that Sisodia was the main source of the tiger skins. “He had four tiger skins. He approached Mohit and asked him for a buyer and handed over one tiger skin as a sample. Kumar was arranging customers for the illegal deal. We have also recovered four mobile phones from their possession, which were used in the commission of crime. A case under sections 9, 39, 49, 49(1)B and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and sections 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was lodged at the Crime Branch police station,” the special CP said, adding that further investigation is going on to recover more tiger skins and to locate the source of smuggling.