Wildlife trader gets 5 yrs in jail

In a landmark judgment today, a trial court in West Bengal sentenced wildlife trader Ratiram Sharma to five years imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000. Nicknamed rhino-man for his repeated involvement in the illegal trade of rhino horn and skin in West Bengal and Assam, Sharma was held guilty of violating Section 51 of Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

“The convict has been involved in heinous wildlife crimes which spread out to several states. This is the third case in India where a five-year jail sentence has been awarded for wildlife crime,’’ said Saurabh Sharma, state prosecutor and an advocate with the Wildlife Trust of India.

Sharma was arrested on July 14 this year after forest officials recovered four leopard skins, 140 pieces of rhino skins, 125 pieces of tiger bones and a skull from his house.