Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug 09: Acting on credible information from a local fisherman regarding a suspected foreign poacher’s dinghy, the North & Middle Andaman District Police, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard, launched ‘Operation Blue Shield’ on 28.07.2026 to counter illegal poaching activities in the coastal areas of Diglipur.
A suspicious dinghy was subsequently reported near Hiran Tikrey, behind Smith Island, prompting a swift coordinated search. The dinghy was traced near Smith Island, abandoned and carrying approximately 300 kilograms of Sea Cucumber along with lifesaving equipment, all of which were seized in accordance with legal procedure.
The foreign poachers fled into the adjoining dense forest in an attempt to evade capture. In response, Anti-Poaching Teams from PS Diglipur, PS Kalighat and PS Mayabunder launched sustained operations involving intensive patrolling, systematic area combing and intelligence-led searches. Despite the challenging terrain, the teams maintained relentless pressure, ensuring continuous surveillance and coordinated enforcement to apprehend the poachers.
Under the close supervision of Mr. Rahul Vikram, SDPO Diglipur and the overall supervision of Mr. Vikas Swami, IPS, SP(D) N&MA, the teams apprehended 5 Myanmarese nationals between 29.07.2026 to 04.08.2026. Acting on further inputs from local villagers and through intensified search operations, 4 more Myanmarese nationals were apprehended from Ganesh Nagar, Ward No. 1, on 08.08.2026, bringing the total apprehensions to nine.
