In a significant development in the crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking, Zamkhankap Thangzachin, a resident of Aizawl, Mizoram, has been remanded to forest custody by the JMFC court in Rajura until February 25. He was arrested for his alleged role in routing funds from Myanmar to India to support a tiger poaching and wildlife trade network operating in Central India.
The arrest was made by a team led by Divisional Forest Officer (DCF) Anand Reddy, who presented Thangzachin before the court. Authorities revealed that he played a key financial role in transferring money from Myanmar, which was then funneled to poachers and wildlife traffickers involved in the illegal trade of tiger parts and other wildlife products.
Due to a language barrier—Thangzachin does not speak English or Hindi—the Chief Wildlife Warden of Maharashtra has requested linguistic assistance from Mizoram’s Head of Forest Force to facilitate further interrogation.
Thangzachin is the third suspect from the Northeast apprehended in this cross-border wildlife trade case. Two others—Lalneisung and Ning Sun—were previously arrested in Shillong, Meghalaya, and another accused, Pravin Kumar, was nabbed in Sonipat, Haryana, for allegedly facilitating financial transfers within the syndicate.
In a related investigation, the Balaghat Forest Department (Madhya Pradesh) took Sonu Singh, a known Bawariya poacher, into transit remand. Singh, initially arrested for poaching in Gondia forest division, later confessed to the killing of two tigers in Balaghat in 2023. A production warrant had been issued by the Jabalpur Magistrate, and an offence was officially registered in Balaghat.
Authorities believe these arrests point to a widespread syndicate involving cross-border smuggling, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade, with strong financial and logistical networks extending into Myanmar, Mizoram, and several Indian states.
