Notorious poacher held with tiger bones, skin

Planned and executed jointly by several high-profile agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Haryana forest department and NGO Wildlife SOS, a trap was laid around Bheema's hideout near Sector 9.

The poacher was identified when he came out of the house and hired a cycle rickshaw around 1.30pm. He was immediately nabbed. He is wanted in a several cases of poaching, especially of tigers and panthers.

"The skin found in his possession smelt to be a freshly killed tiger — probably from Rajaji National Park, Dehradun," Kumar said, adding that tiger bones were also recovered from him.

Besides, powder made of tiger bones — usually used in traditional medicines — was also recovered from his possession.

Hailing the arrest, Kartik, a representative of Wildlife SOS, said his organisation had been on the lookout for Bheema since quite some time. "The number of wildlife animals he poached is in hundreds. His arrest can lead to a major headway in checking poaching," he added.

Haryana principal chief conservator of forest, CR Jotriwal, and state chief wildlife warden, RK Sapra, said that while the CBI had taken over the case, they were hopeful of getting significant information pertaining to the poachers' gangs, their modus operandi and other routes of the illegal trade.

Bheema has earlier been arrested three times in 3002, 2005 and 2009. But each time, he managed to get bail and escaped.