(From left) Sommaya and Gangaram after they were arrested on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

May 22: A group of animal lovers outfoxed two persons, who had allegedly hunted foxes for their hide, tail and meat in the forests of Lower Assam.

The operation was conducted by members of the People for Animals and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals along with honorary animal welfare officers of the Animal Welfare Board of India with the help of Government Railway Police (GRP) last night.

“We received information from a reliable source that two fox-hunters had boarded the Guwahati-bound Bohagi passenger train at Kendukona in Kamrup district and were bringing fox meat with them,” said Sangeeta Goswami, chairperson of the Assam chapter of the People for Animals.

The members of the NGOs informed the GRP and together they waited for the train to arrive at Kamakhya railway station.

As soon as the train reached Kamakhya, the members of the NGOs and the GRP personnel launched a search. They apprehended two persons and seized fox meat, weighing 3.5kg, and three nets, used to trap the animals, from them.

The railway staff helped by stopping the train at the station for 25 minutes, instead of the scheduled two minutes, to carry out the raid.

The accused have been identified as Purshottam Sommaya, 42, and K. Gangaram, 26. They hail from Andhra Pradesh and were staying at Maligaon in the city.

Goswami said the two belonged to a gang that hunted foxes in the state.

She said the accused had confessed to killing 25 foxes for their hides and tails, which are in great demand in the international market, apart from the meat.

According to Goswami, the hides and tails of foxes are smuggled to countries like Thailand and China through Myanmar from the Northeast.

“This illegal trade is thriving because the skin and tail of a fox fetch a good price. The skin is used to make designer caps and collars of coats and jackets. The tail is used to make expensive painting brushes,” she added.

“The duo admitted that they sell the skin and tail of a fox to middlemen immediately after killing the animal. Their interrogation will throw more light on this illegal trade,” she said.

The GRP has transferred the case to the state forest department and a case will be registered against the accused under Sections 9, 39, 40 (2) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.