Sleuths of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) on Sunday arrested three wildlife organ traders and seized tiger’s skin and organs at Jonai in Assam’s Dhemaji district.
They seized dried skin and organs including bones of a fully grown Royal Bengal tiger from their possession and also a Hyndai EON car bearing registration no AR-09 (A)-8046, used by the wildlife traders.
The WCCB officials along with forest and police officials of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh acting on a tip off intercepted the traders near Arunachal Inner Line gate at Ruksin and caught them around 4.00 pm.
The trio reportedly brought the wild animals parts wrapped in plastic gunny bag in the car.
The three wildlife organ traders have been identified as Taying Joshi (Driver) of Nari, Tajing Jomyong, 53, of Kebang, and Jobang Paro ,51, of Kaying (presently residing at Ruksin)- all are from Arunachal Pradesh.
The trio have been presently kept in Jonai police station, where they are interrogated by the police and forest officials.
A case has been registered against the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and they will be produced in court on Monday, said forest range officer (T) of Jonai Fakrul Islam.
The accused stated that they brought the tiger skin and organs from a person at Tuting in upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh and planned to sell to an interested party.
However, WCCB officials have not shared any details with media.
It is learnt that the value of the dried tiger skin and organs is worth Rs 40 lakh in the international market.
Stating the modus operandi applied to cage the wild traders, Sub-divisional Police Officer of Jonai, Rituraj Doley said the WCCB officials got information about the movement of the wildlife traders.
The officials later laid a trap at Assam-Arunachal border and managed to arrest them.
Earlier in August, 2017, Dhemaji police posted at Simenchapori caught two persons from Arunachal Pradesh on National Highway-15 and seized huge consignment of wild animal organs including 43 heads of hog deer, hornbill beak with antlers besides other endangered animal body parts from their possession.
The incidents of nabbing wildlife poachers and wild organ traders time to time have revealed presence of an inter-state racket of the illicit wildlife trade in the region.