Odisha: Forest department officials arrest elephant poacher accused in 8 cases

At least 14 elephants were killed by poachers in 2020-21 compared to nine in the previous year, while seizures of ivory doubled in the same period, the environment ministry told the Parliament on August 8

Published on: Aug 13, 2022, 09:01:02 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Forest department officials in Odisha on Friday arrested a 40-year-old criminal involved in at least eight cases of elephant poaching at a time when the state is under fire for its ‘inaction’ over the rising cases of the incidents.

Officials said they arrested Sk Rajak from his village in Khurda district with the help of local police.

“He has confessed regarding his involvement in illegal smuggling of elephant tusks from Badamba area of Athagarh forest division to Kolkata. He has also revealed some more names of those involved in the poaching and smuggling of ivory in Athgarh division,” said Athagarh DFO Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav.

According to the police, Razak frequently changed his location, and was allegedly hiding at several places in Begunia, Bolagarh, Banki, Tangi, Tikatal and Deuli for the past four days. Following interrogations, search operations have been initiated to nab 14 of his associates.

Also Read:Number of elephants poached rose last year: Govt in Parliament

Taking cognizance of the recent killing of a young tusker in the Athagarh division, the Union environment ministry had sought a report from the state government regarding action taken against poachers.

So far, Odisha has registered 13 cases of unnatural deaths of elephants in forests in the past two months, making it the biggest casualty of pachyderms in a short span of more than a decade. Of the 13, at least five deaths were due to poaching, including that of a 40-year-old tusker whose decomposed carcass with gunshot injuries was found in a cashew orchard in the Jagannath Prasad forest range in Ghumsur North Division of Ganjam district late last month.

Must Read:Tuskers at peril: Poaching haunts Odisha’s forests

At least 14 elephants were killed by poachers in 2020-21 compared to nine in the previous year, while seizures of ivory doubled in the same period, the environment ministry told the Parliament on August 8.

Out of these 14, seven were killed in Meghalaya; two each in Nagaland, Odisha and Tamil Nadu; and one in Kerala. In 2019-20, four elephants were killed in Meghalaya; three in Odisha; and one each in Kerala and Jharkhand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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