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Huge haul of animal skins in UP

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

A huge cache of animal skins and body parts, worth over Rs 100 million in the international market, was seized in a giant operation yesterday in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh by forest authorities assisted by the local police and officials of the World Wildlife Fund.

The haul, which includes skins of as many as 70 leopards, four tigers and 220 black bucks, followed a raid on an ordinary looking house in Khaga town yesterday, UP's chief wild life warden R L Singh said.

The raiding party also seized as many as 18,000 leopard nails and 152 tiger nails buried in another house in a neighbouring hamlet. "Tiger nails are in great demand in South East Asia, where these are used in making of aphrodisiacs," Singh pointed out.

Singh said the house in Khaga was being used as a treatment plant. The police have taken into custody the house owner, Azizullah and six others, including a woman. Hunt is on for the mastermind behind the entire operation - a certain Shabbir Hussain Qureshi.

"This was one of the biggest seizures ever and the confiscated stuff is worth at least Rs 100 million in the international market."

The raid came close on the heels of a haul of 50 leopard skins and three tiger skins in Ghaziabad followed by yet another seizure of elephant tusks and rhino horns valued at more than Rs 25 million in Meerut last month.

Singh said initial investigations have revealed that the skins were brought from the neighbouring forests of Madhya Pradesh to be treated in Khaga. Subsequently, the contraband found its way to the international market through safe conduits in Nepal and Bangladesh, he added.

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