8 Myanmarese held for poaching in Andamans, 800 kg of sea cucumber seized

Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec 17 (PTI) Eight Myanmarese were arrested from a remote island in the North and Middle Andaman district for allegedly being involved in poaching activities in the archipelago, and 800 kg of sea cucumber was seized from their possession, police said on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, an operation - Coral Shield - was launched by the district police on December 1, and several teams covered sea and dense forest to bust the poaching racket operating in the North Andaman Island, a senior officer said.

Local fishermen alerted the police about suspected poachers in the vicinity of the uninhabited western coast of the North Andaman Island, she said.

Multiple anti-poaching teams, comprising officers from several police stations, personnel from IRBn and Police Marine Force (PMF) and home guard volunteers, were mobilised to the suspected location, North and Middle Andaman SP Shweta K Sugathan said.

"During the operation, the teams successfully intercepted one mechanised dinghy on December 2 and apprehended two Myanmarese poachers along with approximately 800 kg of sea cucumber and other wildlife near Nemai Gope under the jurisdiction of Kalighat police station," she said.

However, some poachers managed to escape from the spot and entered the dense jungles of the island, following which a search operation was immediately launched to trace and apprehend them, the SP said.

The teams undertook continuous tracking and combing efforts for two weeks, working in close coordination with the local fishermen community, the officer said.

"After covering nearly 200 sq km across dense jungle terrain and coastal stretches and facing extremely difficult and hostile conditions, the teams reached Karen Nallah on the north-western coast of North Andaman Island and detected the presence of poachers," she said.

"During the combing exercise, the teams successfully apprehended three poachers from Karen Nallah on December 16, and three more arrests were made from Nappi Gope on Wednesday," the SP said.

Speaking to PTI, DGP Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said, "I would like to commend the team members who participated in operation Coral Shield." The Andaman and Nicobar Police will continue to strive towards protecting the fragile island environment, safeguarding the maritime boundaries and continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the archipelago and its people.

Overall, 45 poachers have been apprehended, six dinghies seized, and approximately 1,500 kg of sea cucumber recovered by North and Middle Andaman district police in the current year, another officer said. PTI SN BDC