Interpol Issues Red Corner Notice for Notorious Tiger Poacher Dharkelama, Absconding For 10 Years After Satpura Kill

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Interpol headquarters in France has issued a Red Corner Notice against notorious international tiger smuggler Dharke Lama, alias Tarke, a Nepalese national, following a formal request from the State Tiger Strike Force (STSF).

According to Shubhranjan Sen, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Lama has been absconding for 10 years. A case was registered against him on July 13, 2015, for poaching a tiger in Satpura Tiger Reserve (Narmadapuram) and smuggling its bones to China. The case was later transferred to STSF.

In a significant crackdown, STSF arrested 30 members of the poaching syndicate. In December 2022, a Narmadapuram court convicted 29 accused, sentencing each to five years in jail and imposing a collective penalty of Rs 7.10 lakh.

Later, on January 24, 2024, Tashi Sherpa, another key international smuggler linked to the gang, was arrested from Siliguri, West Bengal, near the India-Nepal border. He too was sentenced to five years by the Narmadapuram court.

This is the first case in which 28 members of a tiger poaching and smuggling network , including poachers, couriers, middlemen, and smugglers, were arrested, tried and convicted.

STSF used narco analysis and brain mapping during the investigation to gather crucial evidence. Assistance was also sought from Interpol, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and other agencies, making it a landmark case in India s wildlife crime history.