Baripada, Jan 17: At least two platoons of armed police will be deployed in the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
The armed forces, in collaboration with the Forest Department, will carry out joint patrolling and flag marches in vulnerable villages around the reserve to combat poaching activities.
This decision has been taken after the recent recovery of a rare melanistic tiger's skin and other body parts, seized from four accused in the peripheral villages of STR last Sunday. Following which, a special enforcement team from the Similipal South Wildlife Division conducted a raid in Tentula village, where the tiger hide was found. The tiger’s nails had been seized earlier from another suspect in Balighat.
Further investigation into the matter is underway.
