117 kg Nilgai Meat, Rs 1 Crore Cash Seized from Retired Armyman's House

Lucknow: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) raided the residence of a retired colonel in Meerut and seized Rs 1 crore cash, 40 pistols, 50,000 live cartridges and 117 kg nilgai meat on Sunday.

A leopard skin was also reportedly recovered from the residence of Colonel (Retd) Prashant Bishnoi, who was said to be absconding.

Animal skin and ivory was also seized from the house of Colonel (retd) Devindra Kumar during a 17-hour-long joint raid conducted by the DRI and the Forest Department.

The raid began at the retired armyman’s Civil Lines residence on Saturday afternoon and continued till 3:30 am on Sunday.

Kumar's son Prashant Bishnoi is a national-level shooter.

A DRI official told PTI the raid was conducted in connection with a disproportionate assets case and that 117 kg meat of nilgai, Rs 1 crore in cash, 40 guns, five deer skulls, horns of sambar deer, antlers of antelope and black buck, animal skin and ivory were seized from a makeshift warehouse in Kumar's residence.

Chief Conservator of Forests Mukesh Kumar said: "The meat of blue bull was seized from a refrigerator. A sample was taken and it will be sent to laboratory for testing."

Action will be taken against the retired army officer and his son under relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 though no case has been registered against them yet, Kumar told PTI.