Cops finally wake up, nab poachers

MUMBAI: Twenty fours hours after the event, Nhava Sheva police on Wednesday arrested two persons for poaching flamingoes near Uran.  They have been identified as Tanaji Ramkrishna Tandel, 52, of Karale village and Sujit Sarjerao Patil, 32, of Airoli.

“Tanaji Tandel shot the birds with his own gun while Sujit Patil is driver of the Toyota Innova used in the crime,” said sub inspector Vikram Jagtap . Interestingly, Tandel has produced an air gun as the weapon used in the crime, though the video footage of the poaching in possession of DNA shows him using a double barrelled gun.

“The two have been booked under sections 9, 49, 44 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,” said Jagtap. The sections deal with prohibition of hunting of wild animals and their trade and prescribe punishment for those indulging in one or both. Legal experts said that an offence committed with an air gun attracts lesser punishment.

The police have also not booked a case against the owner of the vehicle which was carrying the dead flamingoes. Investigations by DNA have revealed that the owner of the offending Innova is a resident of Airoli named S Madvi.