By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jun 4: Goa Forest department’s inquiry into the tiger killing case has revealed that the animal was killed and later burnt in a Cashew plantation to destroy the traces of killing.
“The tiger was burnt and even his leg bone was cut into pieces to ensure that no traces were left,” deputy conservator of Forest Subhash Henrique said.
The tiger was reportedly killed at Keri village in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in February this year and the case was exposed only after local media carried a picture of tiger carcass.
“The entire case is cracked and we will soon make all the information public. There is nothing to doubt that the tiger was killed in Keri,” Henrique said.
The forest department officials who were investigating this case stumbled upon the vital evidence of tiger killing and the place where he was killed after they employed services of police sniffer dogs.
The dogs led the officials to the Cashew plantation, around 2.5 kms away from keri village where the tiger was killed.
Subsequently, during the combing operation, the team also found a place, 75 metres away, where the remains of tiger were burnt.
Officials confirmed that they have found teeth, jaw, fur and burnt bones of the animal.
The officials are investigating into where did the tiger skin and other important body part went.
Forest department during their investigation had arrested four people from Majik community including a person working as a home guard.
The department officials including chief conservator of forest Dr Shashi Kumar initially had expressed helplessness to investigate the case as the department had nothing but the picture of dead tiger with them.
The investigation had also come under scanner of Supreme court’s empowered committee and national tiger conservation authority (NTCA) which had expressed their displeasures over the state government’s attitude to keep them in darkness.
The NTCA was informed about the killing by Karnataka counterpart while goa forest department had not formally written any letter to the authority which is headed by Prime Minister himself.