Bhubaneswar: Three days after a Royal Bengal Tiger entered Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, an alert team of forest and police personnel nabbed two poachers from close to the sanctuary on Thursday.Ghanashyam Mirdha (40) and Suprasad Sui (48) were allegedly planning to kill a leopard inside the Lakhanpur range of Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary when they were apprehended.With the tiger’s entry to the sanctuary, forest department had stepped up surveillance across the protected area to prevent any untoward incident.Recently, following intelligence inputs regarding the presence of poachers in the area, a joint team of 70 armed personnel from Debrigarh and Bargarh district police conducted extensive raids and search operations across five villages bordering the sanctuary on Nov 10 and 11, said Anshu Pragyan Das, DFO of Hirakud wildlife division.During the search operation, they arrested Mirdha and Sui, both residents of Routpada village in Bargarh district. The joint team also seized animal traps, snares, 3 kg of electric hooking wire, 2 kg of cable wire and two bundles of nets to trap animals. Accused Mirdha and Sui were produced before a local court, which remanded them to judicial custody.The DFO said the accused had laid traps inside the sanctuary and were planning to poach a leopard. The use of snares and electrified traps poses a grave threat to wildlife as they indiscriminately kill animals, she added. Officers pointed out that such devices have also been responsible for the deaths of tigers in the past.Following the recent entry of the tiger into Debrigarh, forest teams have been on their toes, scanning vulnerable areas along the sanctuary boundary with metal and live-wire detectors to locate hidden weapons and illegal poaching tools.The sanctuary has also announced a cash reward of Rs 1,000 for credible information related to poaching activities. Authorities said similar search and enforcement operations will continue to ensure the safety of the wildlife and strengthen the sanctuary’s protection.