Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 24: The Forest Department staff assisted by Police today conducted raid in Kanak Mandi area and recovered a large quantity of wild animals’ body parts and banned Minor Forest Produce (MFP) from a godown.
An official spokesman said that based on a specific information, Forest department (T) staff led by DFO Jammu Sat Pal, DFO Urban Forestry, Anoop Soni and Joint Director Forest Protection Force, Jammu, Rafi Ahmed Bhat along FPF sleuths in civil, conducted raid in the premises of famous Pansari shop at Kanak Mandi M/s Bimal Traders and during search recovered huge quantity of body parts of animals and banned forest produce.
During raid the owner and servants at the shops showed resistance but the Forest officers called police from nearby City Police Station led by SDPO. One of the boys at the shop tried to escape with a bag, but he was nabbed by the Forest Guards.
Conservator of Forests, East Circle Jammu, B Mohan Das said that during the raid, the joint team found various banned wildlife articles and forest produce like – genitals of Monitor Lizard, leopard/ Tiger claws, some parts of Musk Deer, Antlers, Nardostachys grandiflora (Jatamansi), Pistasia Integerrima (Kakad Singi), White Kuth, sea shells etc.
Das said there was protest by the owners, shop employees and some traders and the accused could not be taken into custody. He said a case has been registered and the source and the destination of the seized goods are yet to ascertained. He, however, avoided to share the information related to the identity of the owner/ owners.
He further said that seized items shall be sent to Wild Life Institute of India at Dehradun and Forest Research Institute Dehradun for further investigation. The Department has registered a case against the offenders under relevant sections of the J&K Wild Life (Protection) Act 1978 and J&K Forest Act, 1987. Further, investigation was in progress, he added.
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