A special team of the Forest Department, Tiruchi, has arrested an alleged mastermind in attempted tiger skin trade from Gujarat. Early last month the department had seized a tiger skin near Tiruchi. The team went to Gujarat recently and picked up S. Prakash (56) from Ahmedabad and brought him to Tiruchi. He was produced before the Judicial Magistrate court at Srirangam on Thursday and remanded in judicial custody at the Central Prison, Tiruchi.
The Forest Department had in the first week of May seized a tiger skin, an elephant tusk, an antler and a tail of a fox from the house of Duraisamy at Sirugamani village near Tiruchi. The charge against Duraisamy who was arrested in connection with the seizure of animal parts from his house was that he attempted to illegally sell them. The Department officials pursued the case and arrested six more persons.
Forest Department sources said a special team was formed led by the Tiruchi Forest Ranger Gopinath to apprehend Prakash, the alleged mastermind. Based on information, the team went to Ahmedabad and apprehended Prakash who allegedly confessed to have attempted to sell the tiger skin using the social media platform, the sources further said.
