State police marks first wildlife offense prosecution

EMN
Dimapur, February 21

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]eralding a new era of environmental consciousness and administrative activism in the state of Nagaland, the police establishment of Kohima district has registered a first case of offense under the Wildlife Protection Act on February 20 with the arrest of a woman from Manipur who was apprehended while trying to smuggle scales of the reptile pangolin.‘In order to execute the wildlife crime activities in the district, all the members of the said wildlife control unit were put into enforcement action…” the police informed in a note issued on Saturday.
During one such exercise, a lady identified as one Dinag alias Ditan Gangmei, 45 years, of Khamsom village in Senapati district under Manipur was apprehended. She was arrested on February 20 at around 11:00 PM from Peducha check gate in Kohima on charges of smuggling pangolin scales, police said on February 21.
“She was accordingly taken into police custody for illegal possession of 10 kilograms of pangolin scales which is an endangered species and on close inspection of the seizures, the scales are found to be as hard as ivory and rhino horn,” police informed.
The pangolin scales were being smuggled into the state from Assam and was supposed to be delivered to a client in Manipur for ‘exporting it’ further to Myanmar, the authorities said. “The pangolin scales are reportedly used in manufacture of traditional medicine, jewelry and hand-held weapons etc and for which, there is a high demand of it in the International markets.”
The international market value of pangolin scales per kilo is reportedly US $ 3000 which is of Rs. 1,86,676.35 in the country.
According to the sources, one need to kill at least 5 pangolins to get a kilo of pangolin scales.
The arrested person has been booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and she has been charged with illegal possession of wildlife products.
The arrest comes after the recent formation of the District Police Wildlife Crime Control Unit Committee on the 16th of February, earlier this year.
The unit comprises the additional superintendent of Police of Kohima as convener, sub-divisional police officer of Kohima as member-secretary and officers in-charge of the districts’ police stations under the District executive Force of Kohima as members.
The committee was set-up as per the directives of the of Director General of Police and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, of the government of India.
Some of the important roles of the District Police Committee and Sub-Committee on Wildlife Control Unit are to seize, search, and prosecute any person found involved in selling, poaching wildlife, and / or involved in crimes related to wildlife.
It also includes prosecution of people found involved in trade and business of protected trees, plants and flowers. They would be prosecuted according to the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.