Pune cops rescue endangered pangolin from traffickers

The pangolin was rescued from Velhe area, on the outskirts of Pune

The Pune Police has arrested three people from Velhe for illegally procuring an endangered Pangolin from a Satara-based forest. The trio had planned to sell it in Pune for '70 lakh to two people. Yogesh Shivaji Bhodkar, 24, Vitthal Sahare, 26, and Arun Kusalkar, 25, were arrested by the Bharti Vidyapeeth police on Tuesday night under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

"The police were patrolling in the Velhe area on Tuesday evening when they noticed a car parked in a suspicious location and on searching the area, found the pangolin," said Senior Inspector Vishnu Pawar of Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. While the three accused were immediately caught, the two customers [Maruti Hanawale and Chetan Nirkute] managed to flee. Two of the arrested accused are farmers while Kusalkar is a driver.

"The trio procured the animal from the Khandala area of Satara, wrapped it in a gunny bag and brought it to Pune," Pawar added. The animal was taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Zoo at Katraj. Dr Navnath Nighot, Deputy Director of the zoo said that it is a healthy male and weighs around 9.200 kg. "He is 128 cm long and nine years old. He was kept under observation in an isolated ward at the zoo initially but he has responded positively. We will release him back in the forests once
we receive a court order," Dr Nighot said.

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