BHUBANESWAR: In a major crackdown on smuggling of wildlife items in the state, forest officials on Friday seized four elephant tusks and arrested five persons in this connection from Keonjhar.
The Similipal Wildlife Intelligence Network (SWIN) played a crucial role in the raid jointly carried out by the Keonjhar Territorial Division and officials of the Similipal Tiger Reserve, said PCCF wildlife and chief wildlife warden (CWW) Prem Kumar Jha.
Jha said, the seizure and arrests mark a significant step towards curbing poaching and illicit wildlife trade in the region. Based on the intelligence input of SWIN, a special action team was formed under Keonjhar DFO Dhanraj Hanumant Dhamdhere and ACF Sudipta Panda. The team carried out raid on the house of one Gangadhara Patra in Balibeda village under Banspal beat in Suakati section on Friday morning and seized four elephant tusks from the possession of five persons. Other incriminating materials including four mobile phones and two motorcycles were also seized from their possession.
The accused Patra along with four others Narada Munda from Jambhiriposi, Krishna Chandra Munda from Jodapokhari, Ghasiram Munda from Baradapal in Keonjhar and Kedarnath Patra from Bhaliadiha in Mayurbhanj district have been booked under various sections of Wildlife Protection Act 1972, said the Keonjhar DFO.
He said the length of the four seized tusks were in the range of 15.5 to 22 inch, while the overall weight was about five kg.