Joint Operation by WCCB and MP State Tiger Strike Force Leads to Arrest of International Wildlife Criminal Wanted on INTERPOL Red Notice
New Delhi/Bhopal: In a major breakthrough, the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (MP STSF), in close coordination with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), has arrested Ms. Yangchen Lachungpa—an international wildlife offender wanted under an INTERPOL Red Notice. She was apprehended on 2 December 2025 from Lachung in North Sikkim after sustained intelligence gathering and a meticulously planned field operation.
The arrest is being hailed as one of the most significant wildlife crime enforcement actions in India, marking a rare instance where an INTERPOL Red Notice directly led to the capture of a fugitive wildlife criminal. The Red Notice for Ms. Lachungpa was issued on 2 October 2025, following a request from WCCB in its role as India’s INTERPOL Liaison Office.
The operation was conducted with full cooperation from Sikkim Police, the Forest Department, Judiciary, District Administration, and with additional support from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Sikkim and Siliguri for secure transit, given heightened local sensitivities.
Following her arrest, the accused was transported to Gangtok for medical examination and produced before the competent court on 3 December 2025. Her bail request was rejected, and she was granted transit remand to Madhya Pradesh. Further legal proceedings will now continue in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh.
Background of the Case
The case dates back to 13 July 2015, when the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department registered a wildlife crime case in the Kamti Range of Satpura Tiger Reserve in Hoshangabad (now Narmadapuram). The case involved the poaching and illegal trade of tiger body parts and pangolin scales. Seizures included four pieces of tiger bones, 1.5 kg of pangolin scales, tiger skin, and tiger bone oil extract.
Another key accused, Mr. Jai Tamang, was arrested in October 2015. He confessed to supplying wildlife contraband to Ms. Lachungpa and revealed that she had provided him shelter, solidifying her role in the trafficking network.
A total of 36 individuals were named in the case, out of which 27 were convicted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Narmadapuram, on 20 December 2022. However, proceedings against Ms. Lachungpa remained pending as she had absconded. A resident of Lachung/Gangtok, Sikkim, she was identified as an important part of an organised wildlife trafficking syndicate with links spanning Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and several Indian cities, including Delhi, Siliguri, Gangtok, Kolkata, Kanpur, Itarsi, and Hoshangabad.
Ms. Lachungpa had been briefly arrested in September 2017 by the MP STSF but violated her bail conditions and went underground, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant on 29 July 2019. Her prolonged evasion prompted WCCB to seek an INTERPOL Red Notice through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which serves as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for all INTERPOL matters.
The Red Notice was finally issued on 2 October 2025, designating her as a “fugitive wanted for prosecution.” Exactly two months later, coordinated enforcement efforts led to her arrest on 2 December 2025.
The accused is believed to be a crucial node in the transnational trafficking of wildlife contraband, especially tiger parts. Authorities expect her interrogation and continued investigation to reveal vital leads into both upstream and downstream links of the illegal trafficking pipeline.