Daijiworld Media Network- Mapusa

Mapusa, Aug 7: In a significant crackdown on wildlife crime, the forest staff of Panaji Range under the North Goa Division seized 47 monitor lizard skins and 14 Ghumats during a raid conducted at Duler-Mapusa on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, officials raided Kumarwado, Shelpe-Dhuler, where Ghumats—traditional percussion instruments—were allegedly being made using the skins of monitor lizards, a Schedule I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

During the raid, the forest department confiscated the skins and instruments, collectively valued at around Rs 30,000. The accused, Gabriel Sebastian Rodrigues, a craftsman involved in making Ghumats, was arrested under relevant provisions of the Act. However, he was granted bail by a Mapusa court on Wednesday evening.

Forest officials revealed that Rodrigues had been previously booked in a similar case nearly 15 years ago, when a staggering 960 Ghumats were seized from his possession.

Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane has taken serious note of the incident and directed the department to step up vigilance and act swiftly against all forms of wildlife-related offences.