Four suspected poachers were apprehended in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Tuesday after being found in possession of various wildlife parts, an official said.
Based on a tip-off, forest department personnel conducted raids on a few houses in Budhamba village, where the arrests were successfully carried out, he said.
Among the seized items were dried wild boar meat, bones, and a quantity of porcupine quills, the official further noted.
Pradeep Kumar Behera, Assistant Conservator of Forests for the Ghumusar South division, stated three country-made guns, an axe, four wooden catapults, five sharp cutting weapons, mud pellets, lead, and 50 grams of explosive material.
“We are making efforts to find when and where the accused persons hunted the wild animals. A search is also underway to identify others involved in the gang,” he said.
It is suspected that the accused killed the wild animals a few months back and stored the parts in their houses for their own consumption and to sell in the local market, officials said.
They said porcupine quills frequently appear in the black market, often due to the superstitious beliefs regarding their properties.
Those arrested have been identified as Ayan Rait (35), Subudhi Mandal (62), Jakab Sabar (54) and Buda Sabar (50), they added.
