Surat: North Dang Forest Division foiled a poaching bid in Purna Sanctuary on Wednesday night. Forest officials seized a country-made gun of 12-bore from the protected area in Dang district.A person hiding in the sanctuary near a water point began to run with his gun on being spotted by the forest officials. The poacher jumped into Purna river in the dark and escaped but his weapon was seized by the forest officials. An offence under Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been registered and investigations launched. A report has also been sent to police department for registration of an offence under Arms Act.This is second such incident in North Dang Forest Division in the past five months. The forest officials had nabbed three offenders when they entered Bardipada Range with a licensed gun in February for poaching. Proactive action by the forest department prevented poaching and led to the arrest of offenders, who are now facing trial.“We are working on developing a strong intelligence network to prevent poaching and illicit felling of trees in the area. Our team’s hard work has started to yield fruits,” said Agneeshwar Vyas, deputy conservator of forest, North Dang.

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