Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 10 July 2023
The issue of poaching by foreigners in the island territories has become a major challenge for the police in the North and Middle Andaman District. The presence of foreign poachers from Myanmar, who come to collect sea wealth from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which holds immense value in the international market, has raised concerns.
In response to information received on July 7th, 2023, regarding the presence of foreign poachers near Loha Tikrey, a swift and determined anti-poaching operation was launched by a team led by Inspector Anirudra Mondal. The team consisted of Head Constable Khokan Das, Constables Rajkamal, Vikash, Bhusai, Gopal, Ganeshwar, and Home Guard Gautam Saha. Their objective was to apprehend the illegal poachers.
The dedicated team conducted an extensive search and set up an ambush near Loha Tikrey creek. During the operation, the team noticed suspicious movements by the poachers in the midnight hours. Without hesitation, the team sprung into action, attempting to intercept the poachers. However, the criminals refused to cooperate and tried to escape into the dense mangroves. Undeterred, the courageous police team pursued the poachers, eventually apprehending two Myanmar nationals along with their engine dinghy, which was found to be carrying a large quantity of sea cucumbers and other edible articles.
The team continued their search operation, suspecting the presence of more poachers. After hours of relentless effort, they successfully apprehended another Myanmar poacher, along with another engine dinghy containing sea wealth. All the apprehended poachers were brought to the Kalighat Police Station and later handed over to the CCS Police Station for further investigation.
The entire operation was conducted under the direct supervision of Ms. Geetanjali Khandelwal, IPS, Superintendent of Police (D) N&MA, who maintained constant communication with the anti-poaching team through a satellite phone. The exemplary bravery demonstrated by the team has garnered praise, and they will be duly rewarded for their outstanding efforts.
The general public and fishermen who venture out to sea are urged to report any credible information regarding the sighting of foreign boats or nationals to their nearest police station or through phone numbers 100, 112, and 03192-273344. Informants’ identities will be kept confidential, and they will be appropriately rewarded for their courageous acts in assisting law enforcement in combating poaching activities.