CBI, along with Interpol, is organizing regional fact-finding meetings to combat tiger trafficking

NEW DELHI: The CBI in collaboration with Interpol is organizing a two-day Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting (RIACM), which began at its headquarters here on Thursday, to discuss ways to effectively combat transnational tiger trade, officials said.

The officials said the meeting will primarily focus on the critical issue of tiger trafficking networks, a transnational threat endangering the safety of tigers and other big cats in the Indian subcontinent.

“The event brings together domain experts from INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Program, senior law enforcement officials from Nepal and representatives from India’s specialized agencies dealing with wildlife crimes, including the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Economic Crimes Wing II of the CBI, which specializes in environmental and wildlife crimes,” a senior official said.

He added that the primary focus of the RIACM is to “further strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation between Indian and Nepalese law enforcement authorities” and to facilitate criminal intelligence sharing on tiger smuggling routes, trends and networks.

“A major concern remains the smuggling route from India, via Nepal, to China, which is still often used for the illegal trade in tigers, leopards and other big cats. Middlemen and traffickers involved in these networks coordinate the collection, storage and sale of contraband, facilitating its transportation to markets in the Far East,” the official said.

According to the officials, the meeting will provide a platform for Indian and Nepalese authorities to exchange details on ongoing investigations related to tiger trafficking, with the aim of strengthening intelligence-based enforcement actions as they “find existing criminal networks involved in the trade in wild animals and plants. ”, with an emphasis on identifying new targets and “re-investigating outstanding criminal entities for further coordinated action”.

Indian and Nepalese authorities want to work closely to launch operations against identified criminal targets, using Interpol channels to work with law enforcement agencies in other countries affected by the smuggling routes, they said.