Thane forest ranger hunting poachers, shot at

Forest Ranger Pankaj Gadhari was shot while chasing poachers

A forest ranger on the hunt for poachers in the Titwala woods got shot by unidentified men in the wee hours of Thursday. The injured officer was rushed to a private hospital in Thane by his another colleague. His condition is now said to be stable and out of danger.

Forest Ranger Pankaj Gadhari, attached with the mobile squad unit of Thane Forest Department (Territorial), was patrolling the Danbav forest in the early hours yesterday, after the forest department received a tip-off that there were some suspicious people who had entered the forested patch to hunt wild animals. There were a total of three teams - with two officers each - that went into the forest to verify the information and nab the poachers.

In the forest, Gadhari's team came across three suspicious people. When Gadhari and his teammate approached the intruders, they started running. As Gadhari chased after them, one of the poachers shot at the officer. He suffered an injury to his chest and collapsed. Taking advantage of the situation, the trio fled from the spot.

Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, deputy conservator of forest (DCF), said, "Pankaj Gadhari was shot by unidentified people in the forested patch near Titwala while he was on duty. He is currently admitted in a private hospital in Thane. We are searching for the absconding culprits." A police officer from the Titwala police said, "We immediately started a search for the accused, and the forest department officials are helping us."

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