Woman wanted by Interpol for trafficking tiger parts arrested in India

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 said 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 arrested following a co-ordinated operation between the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, the environment ministry said on Friday.

It added that Lachungpa was a key member of an organised trafficking network which has links to Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan, as well having operations in several Indian cities including Delhi.

Lachungpa had been arrested in 2017but disappeared after being granted bail.

Another man accused at the time, Jai Tamang, and who was arrested in 2015, told police that he had given Lachungpa wildlife contraband in exchange for shelter.

Tiger parts are in demand in China where they have been used in traditional medicine.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare says that there were 26 documented cases of tiger poaching in 2024, with 56 cases the proceeding year.

But it adds that there were likely “many more” tigers were likely poached as many are found dead without evidence of poaching.