Mouse deer poaching case: Thane police nabbed a 25-year-old suspect

Veterinarians and rescue officials with the mouse deer

The Thane Forest Department has made progress in the poaching case involving an Indian mouse deer found with bullet wounds in Badlapur a few weeks ago. A 25-year-old man from a village in Ambernath has been arrested, and the search is ongoing for two other suspects.

Following the incident, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Sachin Repal from the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) instructed forest officials to prioritise the arrest of those involved in the poaching incident and to enforce legal action as required.

Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Ganesh Sontakke said, "During our investigation, we received valuable information that led to the arrest of Jagdish Bhagwan Wagh a resident of Ambegaon village in Ambernath Taluka. While examining his phone, we discovered images suggesting involvement in the poaching of wild animals. The investigation is ongoing, and we are actively seeking two additional suspects connected to the poaching of the mouse deer."

The accused Jagdish Bhagwan Wagh was arrested on Saturday from the Ambernath MIDC area and was booked under several sections of Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the court sent the accused to police custody till October 22.

On September 27, mid-day published a story "Rare mouse deer succumbs to pellet gun injuries" detailing how an Indian mouse deer, found with multiple pellet gun wounds in the Badlapur forest range, succumbed four days after being brought to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for treatment. The mouse deer, a critically endangered and protected species, was the victim of what is considered the first poaching incident in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The animal was rescued by the WARR (NGO) team from the Ambarnath-Badlapur forest on Sunday, August 22, and handed over to the forest department. It had survived a poaching attempt in which it was targeted for bushmeat.

Hunting, attempting to hunt, or even planning to hunt any wild animal is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Individuals caught engaging in such activities can face non-bailable charges, with penalties ranging from three to seven years in jail and fines between R25,000 and R1 lakh, as per the act's latest amendment in 2022, which came into effect in 2023.