Man held with tiger hide in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD: A native of Rajasthan, Rajiv Soni, 35, was arrested by crime branch officials from near Bhavsar Hostel, Vadaj, with a country-made pistol and the skin of a feline animal with claws attached. The skin is suspected to be that of a tiger. Two gunrunners — Kalpesh Gajjar and Joginder Rajput — have also been arrested in connection to this case.
One Narendra Soni from Bikaner in Rajasthan, from whom Rajiv had allegedly sourced the animal skin is yet to be traced.
This is the first time after many years that a person was arrested in Gujarat for illegally possessing the skin of India’s national animal.
DCP Deepan Bhadran said Soni was was searching for a buyer in the city. “This makes us suspect that there is an illegal market in the city where animal skins are being traded,” he said. The skin may be sought as a luxury decoration, said Bhadran.
This is the first time after many years that a person was arrested in Gujarat for illegally possessing the skin of India’s national animal.
DCP Deepan Bhadran said Soni was was searching for a buyer in the city. “This makes us suspect that there is an illegal market in the city where animal skins are being traded,” he said. The skin may be sought as a luxury decoration, said Bhadran.
A crime branch official said that during interrogation it was found that Soni had put a price tag of at least Rs 5 lakh for the skin.
Top city police officials said Soni, who was in the cutting and polishing of gemstones, could prove to be a big catch as further interrogation in the case could lead to an interstate tiger poaching gang suspected to be operating from Rajasthan.
Interestingly, a tiger was spotted in the forests of Lunavada in Gujarat about a month ago. The carcass of the tiger was found later.
The sighting came more than 22 years after the big cat disappeared from the state. The last official tiger census was carried out in 1997 in Gujarat in which not a single tiger was spotted.
ACP, Bhagirathsinh Gohil said they have sent the skin to forest department officials of Daskroi, who in their turn have sent the skin to Dehradun to ascertain whether the skin is indeed that of a tiger.
A forest official said that some years ago tigers in the Sariska National Park near Alwar in Rajasthan were on the brink of being wiped out due to poaching. However, after proper security arrangements in the park, the number of tigers is now steadily on a rise.
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