Ivory Smugglers ‘Entrapped’ By Odisha Forest Officials; 8 Tusks Seized

Baripada: Forest officials turned buyers to nab ivory smugglers in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

Eight tusks weighing around 45 kg were seized from their possession. The poachers, who have been arrested, belong to Angarapada village under Udala forest range.

According to sources, they approached the smugglers in the guise of customers and struck a deal with them to buy ivories at a cost of Rs 18 lakh. Accordingly, the team reached the spot and nabbed both the smugglers.

The arrested have been identified as Paghuram Hansda and Ramachandra Hansda.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Santosh Kumar Joshi informed that further investigation is on to ascertain whether these tusks are of the two elephants poached in Udala and Kaptipada range a few days ago.

“A team led by the Assistant Conservation of Forest (ACP) was formed following the poaching incident on February 6. During the course of the investigation, we got some vital clue and te raid was carried accordingly,” Joshi added.

These tusks will be sent to the Wild Life Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun for chemical examination, the DFO added.