
CBI and INTERPOL co-host 2 day Regional Investigative meet to combat global tiger trafficking
Abhimanyu Sharma
3 Oct 2024
The CBI has raised alarms over the illegal trade of tigers, leopards, and other big cats from India to China via Nepal. CBI said that the middlemen involved in such networks are coordinating collection, storage, and sale of contraband, apart from facilitating their transportation to far eastern markets.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in partnership with INTERPOL, is co-hosting a Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting (RIACM) at its headquarters in New Delhi on October 3 and 4, focused on dismantling global tiger trafficking networks.
The CBI has raised alarms over the illegal trade of tigers, leopards, and other big cats from India to China via Nepal. CBI said that the middlemen involved in such networks are coordinating collection, storage, and sale of contraband, apart from facilitating their transportation to far eastern markets.
The meeting brings together experts from INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Programme, senior law enforcement officials from Nepal, and representatives from India's specialised wildlife crime agencies, including the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the CBI’s Economic Offences-II branch, which handles environmental and wildlife crimes.
Indian and Nepalese authorities are set to exchange crucial information on ongoing investigations into tiger trafficking, with an aim to bolster cross-border intelligence-led enforcement actions.
Both the countries are likely to remap existing criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, with a focus on identifying new targets and re-examining criminal entities for further coordinated action.
India also plans to utilise INTERPOL’s global network and resources to facilitate the exchange of intelligence, trace international links in these criminal networks, and boost transnational cooperation to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade.