A woman accused of being one of the world's most wanted traffickers of tiger body parts has been arrested in India, officials have said.
Yangchen Lachungpa, who was detained earlier this week, is accused of playing a critical role in building trafficking corridors leading out of the country to smuggle tiger parts out of the country.
Lachungpa had been on Interpol's most-wanted list, and her bail plea was rejected during a court appearance on Thursday.
Wildlife officials stated that Ms. Yangchen's arrest was a major breakthrough in the battle against poaching in India.
It is rare for a woman to be arrested in connection with the illegal trade of animal body parts.
Police had been looking for Lachungpa for several years. She was apprehended following a coordinated operation between the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, the environment ministry announced on Friday.
Authorities revealed that Lachungpa was a key member of an organized trafficking network with operations in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan and several Indian cities, including Delhi.
Lachungpa had previously been arrested in 2017 but disappeared after being released on bail.
Another individual implicated at the time, Jai Tamang, who was arrested in 2015, reported to police that he had provided Lachungpa with wildlife contraband in exchange for shelter.
Tiger parts are in high demand in China, where they are used in traditional medicine.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare recorded 26 documented cases of tiger poaching in 2024, following 56 cases the previous year, while noting that many more incidents likely go unreported.
