New Delhi: Three persons, accused of poaching tiger in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, were denied bail earlier this week by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Champawat.

The trio was arrested along with four other accomplices last month by the authorities, following discovery of a fresh tiger skin in Sharda range near Tanakpur along the Indo-Nepal border. Tiger bones and materials used in poaching and skinning the animal were also recovered.

“Three of the accused had applied for bail with the Defence arguing that required protocols were not followed during the seizure. However, the Prosecution led by the Forest Department successfully rebuked their claims, ending with the court denying their bail,” said Saurabh Sharma, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) lawyer, who is assisting the authorities.

The three accused are Mohammad Hasim and his sons Mohammad Yakub and Abdul Kareem. The other accused include Tota Ram, a repeat wildlife offender arrested for illegal trade in tiger skins along the Indo-Nepal border.