Mumbai: Mumbai Police Arrest Three Individuals In Tiger Skin Trafficking Bust

Borivali, 20th September 2023: In a shocking revelation, the Mumbai city police force has apprehended three individuals in the LIC Maidan area of Borivali for their involvement in the illicit trade of tiger skins. Alongside the arrests, authorities successfully confiscated tiger skins and tiger claws with an estimated value of 10 lakh and 60 thousand rupees. The accused now face charges under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The individuals arrested in connection with this case have been identified as Suraj Laxman Karande (30), Mohsin Nazir Jundre (35), and Manzoor Mustafa Mankar (36). All three suspects hail from the Mahabaleshwar region in the Satara district. The breakthrough in this case came after a tip-off from Sandeep Anandrao Parit, who alerted the police to the alleged sale of tiger skins and claws within the Borivali area.

Promptly acting on the information, the police orchestrated a well-planned operation, leading to the apprehension of the suspects. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajay Kumar Bansal’s instructions were diligently followed by the law enforcement team. Sub-Inspector of Police Akhilesh Bombay, along with other officers, have set up a stakeout in the LIC Maidan area of Borivali to apprehend the suspect upon his arrival.

As soon as the accused trio arrived at the scene, the police moved swiftly to detain them. In the subsequent search, the law enforcement team uncovered tiger claws and skins worth a substantial amount of ten lakh and sixty thousand rupees.

This operation, under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Sudhir Kudalkar, involved other officers such as Police Inspector Bhalchandra Shinde, Akhilesh Bombay, Praveen Chopde, Sandeep Parit, Prashant Thombre, and Ganesh Shermale.

Surprisingly, it has been revealed that the Satara Forest Department had no prior indication of this ongoing wildlife trafficking operation. When contacted for a statement, Aditi Bharadwaj, a spokeperson of the department, stated that further actions would be decided upon after gathering more information about the matter.