WCCB and MP State Tiger Strike Force detain key trafficking suspect linked to tiger and pangolin trade

Authorities have arrested  Yangchen Lachungpa, an international wildlife crime suspect wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, in a coordinated operation led by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force. She was detained on 2 December in Lachung, North Sikkim, following intelligence inputs and support from state police and forest officials.

The notice for her arrest was issued on 2 October 2025 at the request of WCCB, acting as India’s liaison office with Interpol. Officials described the case as one of the country’s most significant wildlife crime arrests linked to an international alert.

After her arrest, she was taken to Gangtok for a medical examination and produced before a court on 3 December. Her bail plea was rejected and she was placed on transit remand to Madhya Pradesh, where further proceedings will take place in Narmadapuram.

The case stems from a 2015 investigation in Satpura Tiger Reserve involving the poaching and illegal trade of tiger parts and pangolin scales. Seized material included tiger bones, skin, bone oil extract and pangolin scales. A co-accused, arrested in October 2015, confessed to supplying these items to Ms Lachungpa and providing her shelter, establishing her role in the network.

Thirty-six people were named in the case, with 27 convicted by a Narmadapuram court in December 2022. Ms Lachungpa remained absconding, despite a brief arrest in 2017 and a warrant issued in 2019. She is alleged to be a key member of an organised network with links to Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan, and intermediaries operating in several Indian cities.

Officials said the arrest could help uncover wider trafficking routes and networks tied to the trade in tiger parts and other wildlife contraband.