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Journalism of Courage
A forest Ranger was arrested late on Sunday and a hunt is on to nab a rich contractor and his accomplices for shooting dead a black buck.
Two days ago,a flying squad of forest officers had seized the carcass of a female black buck from the 65-acre farm land owned by contractor Anwar Miyan in Chandpur village in Raisen forest division.
While the contractor and an accomplice had left for Bhopal in his Scorpio,which authorities said carried carcass of another black buck,just before the squad arrived,three people were arrested from the spot. After they were remanded in police custody they spilled the beans and named Asif Khan,a Ranger of Chilwaha Range in the adjoining Obaidullaganj division,as their facilitator. The Ranger had managed to mislead the squad members when they met him near the farm. He was in another vehicle.
Khan was arrested after the trio identified him during a parade, Raisen DFO A K S Chouhan said. Sources said the illegal activity had been going for months but somehow the contractor had always managed to outsmart forest officials,because he had won over the lower-rung staff. However,no one suspected a Ranger was part of the activity,an officer said. Chouhan said there were many goats on the farm but it seemed the contractor and his accomplices,including his relatives,had taken a liking for the black buck meat.
Another black buck carcass was recovered from Idgah Hills in Bhopal,dumped by those fleeing after the raid. Besides the contractor and the arrested trio and the Ranger,four others have been named in the racket.
