Red alert sounded as poachers on prowl in MP

AN organised gang of tiger poachers, which also includes women and children, could have poached 10-11 tigers in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over the last three months.

- ANURAAG SINGH @ Bhopal

It is believed that the arrest of these gang members last month in Maharashtra prompted the central government's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to issue a nationwide alert.

An ongoing probe by multiple agencies into tiger poaching following the arrests of key operatives of the gang comprising the tribal Pardhi community in Chandrapur (Maharashtra) in January, has revealed a strong possibility of 10-11 tigers having been poached by the gang in the three adjoining states over the last three-four months, a member of the probe team said.

While the notorious tiger poacher Ajit Rajgond alias Ajit Pardhi, his mother, wife and key associates were arrested in Chandrapur on January 25, his equally notorious brother Keru and aides escaped.