Patna, Nov. 1: Officials of Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) arrested eight poachers from the proposed core area of the park yesterday.

Sharing this information with The Telegraph over phone today, a senior VTR official said: “Two pythons, nylon nets, crow bars, knives and many other instruments used by poachers to trap animals were seized from the possession of the arrested persons.”

A patrolling team, including a senior official and forest guards, was making rounds in the Manguraha range of Division I of VTR, around 300km northwest of Patna, when it saw smoke coming up from a place located near Dorram rivulet.

On reaching the spot, the team found eight persons cooking meal inside the forest. Seeing the patrol team, the poachers tried to escape but the guards were quick to catch them and take them into custody.

Those arrested have been identified as Rakesh Pradhan, Ravi Pradhan, Shanker Pradhan, Vishwakarma Pradhan, Surao Pradhan, Vijay Pradhan, Chotu Pradhan and Achche Kumar Sai. All of them are residents of Cuttack district of Orissa.

During interrogation, the arrested men revealed that they mainly caught snakes, particularly pythons, and were also involved in poaching in the Similipal Tiger Reserve of Orissa.

They, however, did not reveal what they used to do with their catch, said the VTR official.

“We are trying to establish contact with our counterparts in Orissa to find out details of offences committed by these poachers in the past,” the official added.