Is the seized skin of a tiger from Nagzira reserve?

NAGPUR: Even as the Balaghat police arrested two persons from Lakhni and Sakoli in Bhandara and Gondia districts respectively with tiger skin on Friday evening, it is suspected the skin is of a tiger poached from Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR).
Though the Balaghat police did a good job by arresting the accused, they seem to be playing spoilsport by not handing over the case to the forest officials, who have more powers under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
On Saturday, police were going easy against the accused and allowed home food to him. They also allowed lawyer of kingpin Madhurkumar Meghrajani (45), Sakoli, and Sudhakar Hatwar (40), Lakhni, to meet privately for an hour even before they could be quizzed.
However, Balaghat SP Gaurav Tiwari denied any move to dilute the case. “It is a sensitive matter and hence police are probing it. There are many angles involved and IG is himself monitoring the investigations,” he told TOI.
Deputy conservator Ashok Kumar said he was ready to probe the case provided investigations are handed over to him.
Sources said the accused is influential and had earlier escaped from the clutches of forest and police officials. The MP forest officials are also not acting proactively as they believe that both, the skin and accused, belong to Maharashtra.
Tiwari said the accused have told them that the skin was procured from Gadchiroli. However, sources said they are diverting police attention as there are no tigers left in Gadchiroli. The duo were arrested with fresh tiger skin from an Alto car from Bhandara on Friday.
Meghrajani seems to be a habitual offender and owns a posh resort on Pitezari road close to Nagzira. He also owns a petrol pump in Sakoli. A source close to investigations revealed that Meghrajani was caught with a tiger skin around two years back but was let off by forest officials.
The skin is suspected to be that of a male tiger from Koka-New Nagzira wildlife sanctuaries, both part of NNTR. A section of wildlife activists involved in tiger estimation exercise in Nagzira apprehend that stripe pattern of the seized skin matches with that of a male tiger which was counted in 2013 but was not seen in 2014.
However, Nagzira DFO Ashok Khune denied the allegations. “I’ve matched the picture released by Balaghat police with that of tiger pictures captured since 2011, but the stripe pattern doesn’t match with any of them,” Khune told TOI.
Balaghat additional SP Neeraj Soni told TOI, “Prima facie it looks that the tiger skin is from Mandla. It is possible that the skin may be from Kanha. However, we are yet to record the confession statements. The picture will be cleared soon,” Soni said.
“We have sent a team to Mandla for further probe. I appeal to the forest officials from Maharashtra to quiz the accused who hail from areas close to Navegaon-Nagzira,” said Soni. However, forest officials from Maharashtra side are mum on the issue.
Even if the tiger skin is not from the PAs around Nagzira, the incident highlights rampant poaching in Gondia district. TOI has already highlighted the plight of Nagzira where sightings have become rare owing to few remaining tigers.