Forest officials allegedly caught one man with pair of monitor lizards and dried genitals of a protected wild animal,and that itself tells how ugly this trade can get.
Acting on tip-off,the Pune Forest Department carried out planned operation at Pune Railway Station . Officials from Pune Forest Range laid trap and caught accused red-handed,as per report.
And accused has been identified as Malhar Lala Lokhande . After arrest,forest officials interrogated him and registered case under provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972.
But what makes this case more serious is that protected wildlife cannot be hunted,possessed,transported or traded like normal goods . These are not items for black market,these are living species being pushed into danger because some people see money only .
Few things standing out clearly here:
- Malhar Lala Lokhande was allegedly found with pair of monitor lizards and dried genitals of a protected wild animal.
- Court granted Forest Department one day's custody for further investigation.
- Officials are checking whether he is linked to larger wildlife trafficking network .
And under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972,offences can attract strict punishment,including imprisonment ranging from three to seven years and fine of at least ₹25,000 . That is not light punishment,and clearly law treats such cases very seriously.
But investigation part is still going on rn . Forest officials are trying to find out if this was one isolated case or part of bigger chain supplying protected animals and body parts somewhere else.
And operation was carried out by Forest Range Officer Nandkumar Patil and his team under guidance of Conservator of Forests Ashish Thackeray,Deputy Conservator of Forests Abhijit Vaikos,and Assistant Conservator of Forests Vishal Chavan . Team included Forester Pramod Raskar and Forest Guards Anil Rathod,Ankush Kachre,Madhukar Godge,Shriram Jagtap,and Omkar Gund.
But one strange thing in source copy also had line,“CTC Celebrates Centenary With Honorary Membership Conferment To Legal Luminaries Justice Easwar, Soparkar,Pardiwala & Datar” which looked totally unrelated to this wildlife case . Maybe editing mix-up only,but it stood out.
And Forest Department has appealed to citizens to report any information related to wildlife trafficking or illegal wildlife activities by calling toll-free helpline 1926 . Because if such trade is happening openly around railway stations,then question is how many more cases are still moving quietly without anyone noticing…
