BARIPADA: Officials of Baripada forest division on Wednesday arrested two persons for allegedly trying to sell a bone by falsely claiming it to be elephant tusk.
The accused are Prasant Majhi (30) and Somanath Nayak (32), both of Baldiha area under Baripada Sadar police limits. The bone was seized from their possession.
Baripada DFO Gobinda Chandra Biswal said posing as customers, forest staff laid a trap and caught the duo red-handed at a dhaba in Baldiha. Acting on a tip-off that the accused were negotiating a deal for elephant tusk at the eatery, forest officials along with Baripada Sadar police reached the spot.
The forest staff, posing as potential buyers, expressed interest in purchasing the tusk and negotiated with the duo. Once the deal was finalised and the accused took out the bone from a bag, police and forest personnel waiting nearby apprehended them.
The seized bone, measuring about 12 inches in length, had been shaped to resemble an elephant tusk. “The bone has been sent to Bhubaneswar for examination to ascertain which wild animal it belongs to,” he said. The accused were arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act and produced in court. “We suspect involvement of more persons in the illegal trade. Efforts are underway to nab them,” the DFO added.