Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in collaboration with the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) is co-hosting a two-day regional investigative and analytical case meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi that began on Thursday.
The meeting focuses on addressing the critical issue of tiger trafficking networks – a transnational threat that endangers the safety of tigers and other big cats across the region.
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The event brings together domain experts from Interpol’s environmental security programme, senior law enforcement officials from Nepal and representatives from India’s specialised agencies dealing with wildlife crimes.
The Indian agencies include the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Economic Offences-II branch of CBI, which is specialised in environmental and wildlife crimes.
The primary focus of the meeting is to further strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation between the Indian and Nepalese law enforcement authorities and to facilitate the sharing of criminal intelligence on tiger trafficking routes, trends and criminal networks.
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A significant concern remains the trafficking route from India via Nepal to China, which continues to be frequently used for the illegal trade of tigers, leopards and other big cats.
The middlemen and traders involved in these networks coordinate the collection, storage and sale of contraband, facilitating its transportation to far eastern markets.
The meeting provides a platform for the Indian and Nepalese authorities to exchange details on the ongoing investigations related to tiger trafficking with an aim to bolster intelligence-led enforcement actions.
The participants of the meeting will remap the existing criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, with a focus on identifying new targets and reexamining the outstanding criminal entities for further coordinated action.
The Indian and Nepalese authorities will work closely to initiate operations against the identified criminal targets, utilising Interpol channels to collaborate with the law enforcement agencies in other countries affected by the trafficking routes.
Interpol’s global reach and resources will be leveraged to facilitate the exchange of information, identify international links in criminal networks and coordinate transnational efforts to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade.
The two-day meeting underscores the importance of international collaboration in combating tiger trafficking, which has serious implications for biodiversity conservation in the region.
It also highlights India’s proactive efforts to curb the illegal wildlife trade relating to one of the world’s most iconic species.
The outcomes of the meeting are expected to enhance coordination among the law enforcement authorities in both India and Nepal, with an overarching goal to break the chains of tiger trafficking that extend beyond borders.