BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch has so far questioned more than 40 people from Odisha and West Bengal in connection with the alleged smuggling of five orangutan infants, rescued by forest officials from a protected area in Balasore district on Tuesday.
Sources said the STF is focusing on the movement of a black Thar SUV that was spotted on a road near Bichitrapur forest on Monday night, hours before the orangutans were rescued.
Investigators are also examining CCTV footage to trace the movement of three to four other vehicles in the area that night. However, the absence of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras along roads in Balasore and adjoining areas of West Bengal has made it difficult for them to identify the suspected vehicle, sources said.
Acting on the direction of DGP in-charge Vinaytosh Mishra, the STF registered a formal case in the matter on Friday.
Mishra told TNIE that no one had been detained so far. He said the case was registered following a communication from the principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha, seeking an STF inquiry into the matter.
“We will go wherever necessary as part of the investigation. The details are expected to become clear after the STF completes its investigation,” he said.
As part of the probe, the STF is trying to establish the route through which the orangutans were brought to Odisha, identify those involved and ascertain the purpose of bringing the animals into the state.
Officials of the Forest department’s wildlife wing said a four-member team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has also joined the investigation. The team is assisting and guiding forest and police officials to ensure a thorough probe, they said.
Meanwhile, authorities at Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP), where the rescued orangutan infants have been shifted for care, have intensified health surveillance of the animals.
Jha said all five infants were active and that their body temperature and other health parameters were being monitored at regular intervals every day. “The zoo has experience in keeping orangutans and is also in touch with experts from Mysuru and other zoos to ensure proper care of the infants,” he said.
He, however, declined to comment on reports that Indonesia had offered assistance in returning the rescued orangutans if genetic testing established that they originated from the country.
“The health of the orangutan infants, all of whom are less than one year old, is the first priority,” Jha said.