Kolkata: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in a joint raid with the state Forest department seized four ivory tusks from Hazra area in south Kolkata and arrested four persons in this connection.
According to sources in the Forest department , two tusks measured around 13–14 inches each in length, the other two measured around 18 inches. Acting on a tip off the joint team posed as buyers and caught the offenders red handed.
During preliminary interrogation, they claimed that the elephants were killed in 2022 somewhere near Keonjhar close to the Jharkhand–Odisha border.
All the four hail from Bihar but have been living in the New Alipore area over the past few years. While two are cab drivers, one deals with antiques. The fourth one claimed to run a coaching class. They were trying to sell the tusks.
The vehicle in which the tusks were being smuggled have also been seized by the joint team.
“ We are verifying the statement of the accused persons and at the same time trying to find out whether more persons are involved in this inter-state racket, “ said a WCCB official.
Elephants are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.