Organized Pangolin Wild life poaching and smuggling racket is busted by the officers and staff of Kawal Tiger Reserve Telangana led by C.P. Vinod Kumar, I.F.S. FDPT, KTR, and CF,  Adilabad Circle who received information about the said pangolin racket from reliable sources. A team headed by DFO Mancherial and Asifabad, F.D.O. Bellampally and Kaghaznagar, F.R.O.s of Asifabad and Kaghaznagar divisions are formed teams to investigate the said organized wildlife crime. The teams detected and busted the racket operating the wild life offence.

The investigation was started one month back tracing the accused one after the other and a total of (20) persons involved in the said wildlife crime chain are detected. During the investigation the officers of the Forest Department of Asifabad and Kaghaznagar have seized (01) Live Pangolin (Adult), (1) Swift Car, Motor Cycles, and mobiles phones. The pangolin i.e. (Manis Carssicaudata) Critically Endangered as per appendix – 1 of CITES and is listed under Schedule – 1 in Wild Life Protection Act. Hunting and trading of Pangolin is a serious offence and punishable with minimum punishment of (7) years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of not less than Rs.5.00 Lakhs. (10) accused persons involved in the said pangolin wildlife crime are identified and offence case is registered under wildlife protection Act for hunting and trading the said pangolin. The accused are arrested and produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate SirpurT.

The forest officials have informed that, the poachers and the middlemen with superstitious belief and wrong myth of use for medical treatment are attempting to hunt the pangolin for the scales in order to make money by cheating innocent people. The forest officials informed that, the pangolin does not carry any value and neither has any medicinal value nor commercial value. Moreover the forest department informed that it will transmit dangerous viruses to human.

In this context it is appealed to the general public that, they should not fall prey to the  said vicious circle of offering money for this animal which ultimately leads to arrest and punishment of innocent villagers and who directly or indirectly involve or help the persons in the wildlife crime. The said wildlife crime has severe punishments and also PD Act will be imposed against them.

Investigation Team: C.P. Vinod Kumar, I.F.S., FDPT, KTR Nirmal, Dr. B.Prabhakar, I.F.S., D.F.O. KB Asifabad.,Smt. Shivani Dongra, I.F.S., D.F.O. Mancherial.,Kum. B. Lavanya, I.F.S., F.D.O. Bellampally, M.Vijay Kumar, S.F.S. F.D.O. Kaghaznagar, Shankar, Dy.R.O. Bellampally,Smt. Rajini F.B.O. Nennel, Ch. Poornachander, F.R.O. Sirpur., K.Shiva Kumar, F.R.O. Kaghaznagar, G.Appalakonda, .R.O. Asifabad, G.Srinivasa Reddy, F.R.O. F.S.P. Asifabad., S.Venugopal, F.R.O. Penchikalpet, D.Shashidhar babu, Dy.R.O., D.Rambabu, Dy.R.O., Md.Abdul Musavvir, Dy.R.O., B.Banesh, Dy.R.O., Saddam Hussain, F.S.O., Vijay Prakash, F.S.O. A. Ravi Kumar, F.S.O. and other staff.