Poacher held with gun in Thane forest

MUMBAI: Forest officials nabbed a man, presumably a poacher, with a double-barrelled gun on Wednesday. The man, identified as Shankar Dev Patel from Owala village near Thane, was hiding near a nature interpretation centre. His accomplice managed to flee.

The duo was hiding among the bushes, waiting for animals to turn up at a waterhole close by when forest officials from the Yeoor range reached the spot. Patel was caught after a chase.

Officials said Patel was carrying a pistol which had two bullets. Two bullets were later recovered from his pocket and another eight from his waist pouch. "Both of them were hiding in the bushes but started to run as they heard our jeep nearing. Patel hit a stone and fell. He was caught immediately," said Pratap Rajput, divisional forest officer, Yeoor range. Rajput said Patel had admitted to poaching. tnn mostly for eating and sometimes, for selling animal parts for money.

Officials said that poaching is very common in the area and many small gangs, owning pistols, are known to operate in the forest. "However, this is the first time a person has been nabbed from there," said an official. Krishna Tiwari from City Forest Initiative said that poaching of animals has been going on for years and very stringent measures are needed to curb it.