Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | May 16, 2012

NAGPUR: With tiger poachers from the Bahelia community of Katni in Madhya Pradesh planning to strike it rich in Maharashtra, specially in Vidarbha region, the state government has sounded a red alert.

"Intelligence reports say that Bahelia gangs have been ordered to kill 25 tigers for their skins. These gangs have also been paid an advance of Rs 40 lakh," Praveen Pardeshi, state principal secretary (forests), told TOI.

Until last year, in international markets, a tiger skin would fetch $20,000, which is over a crore of rupees at today's rates. Their body parts like nails, hair, bones are sold at the rate of $1200 per kg which converts to about Rs 6.50 lakhs.

Bahelias are known for killing tigers with the help of metal traps. Experts say members from this community simultaneously operate at multiple locations at a given time anywhere in the country and are ruthless in their approach.

Interestingly, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau's (WCCB) headquarter in Delhi, which should be playing a proactive role in such matters, is unaware about the alert. M Maranko, WCCB's regional deputy director based in Mumbai, said the regional office is not empowered to issue such alerts but admitted that bureau's Delhi officials are investigating the tiger poaching case that occurred on April 26 in Palasgaon on the periphery of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve ( TATR) in Chandrapur district.

On the contrary, SB Negi, the joint director of WCCB said from Delhi that no alert has been sounded from "our office". "If the state government seeks help we are ready to probe the case," Negi said. This brings to fore the indifferent attitude of the WCCB towards poaching of tigers.

Meanwhile, Pardeshi has put on alert all the territorial and wildlife wing officials in the state directing them to monitor all water holes daily. He has also asked them to take help of volunteers and wildlife buffs.

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