Six poachers were arrested in the Khervada forest range in Tapi district on Tuesday. The incident took a curious turn with the revelation that the leopard body parts were used for gambling.
The poachers removed the leopard’s whiskers, legs and teeth and used them for gambling. Apparently, people believe that keeping these body parts, especially whiskers, while gambling proves lucky. Some body parts are used in black magic as well, sources said.
Forest patrolling staff found a leopard carcass in the forest on April 3 and sounded an alert in nearby areas. Investigations revealed that the leopard was killed on March 22.
Body parts missing
The whiskers, teeth and four legs of the leopard were missing and the body was decomposed. It was a clear case of poaching. Search operations were carried out and body parts of an Indian civet cat were recovered from the house of one of the accused Fatehsinh Vasava, according to forest officials.
Along with Fatehsinh, forest officials arrested Balu Vasava, Chandu Vasava, Magatiya Vasava, Mansinh Vasava and Kunvarji Vasava, all residents of Khervada village.
They were booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and sent to judicial custody by a local court. Sources said a similar case of poaching a leopard for black magic and gambling was detected in Surat district in 2016.
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