Archive · 6 Dec 2025
International Wildlife Trafficker Yangchen Lachungpa Arrested in Sikkim
A woman named Yangchen Lachungpa, who is 44 years old and from Tibet, was caught by the police in Sikkim.
She is a big boss in a group that illegally trades animals and their parts.
The police have been trying to catch her for a long time because she kept moving around between Delhi and Sikkim.
They finally caught her and took her to a court in Madhya Pradesh.
The court said the police can keep her for five days to ask her questions.
Before this, many people in her group were caught and sent to jail.
Yangchen was caught once before but got out on bail.
She has been hiding since then.
Yangchen Lachungpa, a 44-year-old Tibetan woman, was arrested in Sikkim on December 2 for her role in international wildlife trafficking.
She is the kingpin of a global wildlife trafficking network operating across India, Nepal, Tibet, and China.
The State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) raided her hideout in Lachung, Sikkim, and arrested her.
A court in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh, granted a five-day remand to the STSF for further investigation.
In 2015, the STSF busted her network and convicted 31 people involved in trafficking tiger bones and pangolin scales.
- Who
- Yangchen Lachungpa, a 44-year-old Tibetan woman and international wildlife trafficker
- What
- Arrest of Yangchen Lachungpa for her involvement in wildlife trafficking
- When
- Arrested on December 2, produced in court on December 3 and December 9
- Where
- Arrested in Lachung, Sikkim; produced in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh
- Why
- For her role as the kingpin of a global wildlife trafficking network
- Name
- Yangchen Lachungpa
- Age
- 44
- Nationality
- Tibetan
- Arrest Date
- December 2
- Arrest Location
- Lachung, Sikkim
- Remand Duration
- 5 days
- Agencies Involved
- State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Convictions
- 31 people convicted in 2015