Six Arrested in Kuldiha Wildlife Trafficking Crackdown, Govt Teacher Among Accused

Balasore (Odisha): In a major breakthrough against wildlife trafficking, forest officials of Kuldiha Sanctuary have arrested six poachers, including a government school teacher, for their involvement in pangolin scale smuggling.

The arrests were made following a series of raids led by Kuldiha Range Officer Subrat Behera. Authorities seized 13 pangolin scales, eight mobile phones, and three motorcycles from the accused.

This operation comes on the heels of an earlier raid on January 22, which had already busted a poaching gang.

With the latest arrests, the total number of individuals apprehended in connection with the trafficking racket has risen to 11 in just two weeks.

The involvement of a government assistant teacher has shocked many, underscoring how people from diverse professions are being drawn into organised wildlife crimes.

Forest officials have vowed to intensify anti-poaching operations in Kuldiha Sanctuary to safeguard endangered species and dismantle trafficking networks.