Chandigarh, December 15:
To protect wildlife in Punjab and to curb crimes related to it, under the directions issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden Punjab Shri Basanta Raj Kumar, IFS, Shri Satinder Kumar Sagar, IFS (Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife); and Shri Vishal Chauhan, IFS (Conservator of Forests, Parks and Protected Circle), and following the zero-tolerance policy against wildlife crime, the Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife Division Phillaur, Shri Vikram Singh Kundra, IFS, constituted a team on the basis of secret information regarding trafficking of wildlife parts.
The team was formed under the leadership of Shri Jaswant Singh, Range Officer, Jalandhar, and included Nirmaljit Singh (Block Officer), Malkiat Singh (Forest Guard), Navtej Singh Bath from Jalandhar Range, and Ranjit Singh (Block Officer), Bobinder Singh and Ranbir Singh Uppal from Kapurthala Range.
The team laid a trap in Nakodar, where one of the team members acted as a customer and struck a deal with the trafficker. At the spot, Bony Arora, son of Bharat Bhushan, resident of Nakodar, arrived to deliver the material and was immediately arrested by the team. From his possession, two cut pieces of sambar antlers, six pieces of “hathajodi,” and the parts of a wild cat were recovered.
During interrogation, Bony Arora disclosed that this material had been sent to him by Shivam Gupta, son of Gulshan Rai, resident of Nakodar, who runs a shop named “Durga Dass Pansari.” The team immediately conducted a raid at Shivam Gupta’s shop and questioned him. He admitted that he was involved in the business of wildlife parts and that he himself had sent the material to Bony Arora for delivery. He further disclosed that he purchased this material from Deepak alias Kala, son of Vijay Kumar Gupta, resident of Nakodar, District Jalandhar, who runs a shop named “Valaiti Ram Pansari and Grocery Store” in Nakodar.
The team immediately raided the shop of Deepak alias Kala and recovered two cut pieces of sambar antlers and one “hathajodi” from his possession. During interrogation, Deepak alias Kala admitted that he had supplied this material to Shivam Gupta.
The team arrested all three accused along with the recovered items and produced them at Police Station Nakodar, where an FIR was registered against them under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Amended 2003).
On this occasion, Range Officer Shri Jaswant Singh stated that trading in wildlife parts is a punishable offence, and no person involved in such illegal activities will be spared. Strict legal action will be taken against them, and further investigation is ongoing to identify other accused connected with this case.
