THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A crime investigation team will be formed in the Forests and Wildlife Department to combat wildlife poaching, Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has said.
The minister said on Friday that he had directed the department to form the wing at the earliest. The team will be entrusted with the probe of major cases reported in various divisions.
He said the arrest of 68 persons in the elephant poaching case was the first such massive operation in the country. “The current probe will continue till the CBI takes over the case. The central agency probe is imperative as the accused have nationwide links, including some corporates,” he said.
He said the Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment had responded positively to state’s demand for financial assistance to demarcate forest land.