International wildlife offender held under INTERPOL Red Notice in Sikkim
International wildlife offender held under INTERPOL Red Notice in Sikkim
Authorities arrest an international wildlife criminal under INTERPOL Red Notice in Lachung, North Sikkim, as part of a major crackdown on tiger parts and pangolin trade.
A high-profile international wildlife offender linked to a network spanning Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan has been arrested in Lachung, North Sikkim, in a coordinated operation involving state and central agencies. Yangchen Lachungpa, 44, was taken into custody on December 2 following sustained intelligence inputs and ground action, and was later produced before a court in Gangtok after a medical examination. The INTERPOL Red Notice for Lachungpa was obtained on October 2, 2025, with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau acting as India's INTERPOL liaison. The operation saw full cooperation from the Sikkim Police, forest department, judiciary and district administration, with transit support provided by the Sashastra Seema Bal and security teams in Siliguri due to heightened public sentiment. Bail was denied and transit remand to Madhya Pradesh was granted, with further proceedings planned in Narmadapuram.
Lachungpa is described as a key member of an organised wildlife-trafficking network with established links across multiple Indian cities, including Delhi, Siliguri, Gangtok, Kolkata, Kanpur, Itarsi and Hoshangabad. The case in MP dates back to July 13, 2015, when the forest department registered charges of poaching and illegal trade of tiger body parts and pangolin scales in the Kamti range of the Satpura Tiger Reserve. Seizures at that time included four tiger bones, 1.5 kilograms of pangolin scales, a tiger skin and tiger bone oil extract, underscoring the scale of the trafficking network Lachungpa is alleged to have supported. An associate, Jai Tamang, arrested in October 2015, reportedly confessed to supplying wildlife contraband to Lachungpa, who allegedly provided him shelter. The latest arrest marks one of the most significant wildlife-crime seizures connected to an INTERPOL Red Notice in the country, illustrating the ongoing, concerted push to dismantle transnational trafficking rings.
Cover image source: International wildlife criminal wanted under INTERPOL Red Notice held 🔗
