BHUBANESWAR: Making further breakthrough in the inter-state pangolin smuggling racket, a forest team on Tuesday nabbed two other accomplices of Mohammed Ali, alleged mastermind of the racket. Athagarh Forest Division had busted the racket in the third week of January. The accused are Dilip Nayak and Tirthabasi Majhi.
A team of Athagarh division arrested Dilip from Baramunda bus stand, while Tirthabasi was nabbed from Naraj in Cuttack, the area from where Ali had been apprehended. With this three aides of Ali have been arrested in connection with the pangolin smuggling racket.Athagarh Divisional Forest Officer Sasmita Lenka said the trio were helping Ali in smuggling pangolin and its scale to outside State.
An auto rickshaw used for transportation of the scales and pangolin to the Capital from Athagarh by the accused has also been seized. Ali had been arrested from Naraj along with other two persons Santosh Das (48) and Hadibandhu Jena (35) of Banki area last month. A dead pangolin had also been recovered from their possession.
With this, Athagarh team has managed to arrest six members of the racket including the mastermind. The DFO said they suspect the involvement of more number of persons in this racket. Investigation in the case is in progress, she said.