International Wildlife Trafficker Captured in Dramatic Himalayan Border Operation Following Interpol Red Notice

Yangchen Lachungpa was transported to Gangtok following her arrest and presented before the court on Wednesday.

In a spectacular covert operation spanning the frigid Himalayan border, the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), collaborating with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), has apprehended international wildlife trafficker Yangchen Lachungpa, one of Asia's most sought-after wildlife criminals and a fugitive under an Interpol Red Notice.

The 43-year-old suspect was captured on Tuesday in North Sikkim's Lachung, just kilometers from the Indo-China border, after months of surveillance, intelligence gathering, and nighttime operations in below-freezing temperatures.

Officials involved described the arrest as unfolding under "movie-style conditions" with decoy teams, silent encirclement, sporadic phone signals, and alleged resistance from locals. The fugitive reportedly attempted to destroy two mobile phones and a coded diary containing suspect names, trafficking routes, and hawala references. The operation received comprehensive support from Sikkim Police, Forest Department, district administration, and the SSB in Sikkim and Siliguri, as heightened public concern necessitated secure and discreet transportation.

Following her arrest, Yangchen was taken to Gangtok and presented before the court on Wednesday after undergoing a medical examination. Her bail application was denied, and she was placed under transit remand to Madhya Pradesh, where further legal proceedings will continue in Narmadapuram. The arrest is considered one of India's most significant, as it represents one of the rare instances where a wildlife criminal has been captured directly due to an Interpol Red Notice. The notice had been issued merely two months earlier, on October 2.

The case against Yangchen originated on July 13, 2015, when the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department filed a wildlife crime case in the Kamti Range of Satpura Tiger Reserve. Seized items included tiger skin, four pieces of tiger bones, tiger bone oil extract, and 1.5 kg of pangolin scales. Another key suspect, Jai Tamang, arrested in October 2015, admitted to supplying wildlife contraband to Yangchen and receiving shelter from her, establishing her as a central figure in an organized trafficking network.

A total of 36 individuals were implicated in the case, with 27 convicted by a Narmadapuram court in December 2022. However, proceedings against Yangchen remained incomplete as she escaped shortly after being briefly detained by the STSF in September 2017. After violating bail conditions, an arrest warrant was issued against her on July 29, 2019. Her continued evasion and suspected international connections prompted WCCB to request an Interpol Red Notice, which ultimately led to her dramatic capture.

Investigators characterize Yangchen as a crucial link in the transnational trafficking of tiger parts, pangolin scales, shahtoosh wool, red sanders, and other valuable contraband. Her alleged network extended across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, with operational centers throughout Delhi, Siliguri, Gangtok, Kolkata, Kanpur, Itarsi, and Hoshangabad. Officials report that her name has repeatedly emerged in international wildlife seizures. In 2015, Ethiopian authorities confiscated eight Indian tiger hides, at least three of which were suspected to have originated from Satpura. In 2013, Nepal Police seized five tiger skins and seven sacks of bones intended for smuggling to Tibet, one of which DNA tests traced to tigress T-13 of Pench Tiger Reserve.

Authorities believe that payments for the trafficking network were channeled through Kathmandu, Siliguri, and border villages, and that wildlife stockpiles were concealed across Satpura, Pench, Betul, and Tamia. They are now examining encrypted communications and the coded diary recovered during the arrest, which is expected to reveal information about financial backers, poaching syndicates, and international buyers involved in the network.

Officials anticipate that Yangchen's arrest will provide the most significant breakthrough yet in dismantling a sophisticated and long-established wildlife trafficking chain. Her interrogation, they believe, will uncover both backward and forward connections and may lead to additional arrests across multiple states and countries.