Chembur: The Chembur Police has arrested four persons for allegedly attempting to sell elephant tusks in violation of wildlife laws. The action was carried out by the Crime Detection Unit following a tip-off regarding illegal trade in wildlife contraband.
The accused have been identified as Akash Ashok Avhad (28), Sandip Randhir Bidlan (33), Shashank Chandrashekhar Ranjankar (38), and Dinesh Rammanohar Agnivanshi (40).
According to the police, acting on specific Intelligence, a trap was laid on April 22 at a hotel on RC Marg in Chembur. Informants were instructed to pose as buyers and arrange a deal with the accused. A room was booked at a local lodging facility, where the suspects agreed to deliver the tusks for sale.
After receiving a signal from the informants, the police team conducted a raid at the hotel. During the operation, four individuals were found inside the room along with two ivory tusk-like objects placed on the bed.
Officials from the Maharashtra Forest Department were called to the spot and prima facie confirmed that the seized items were genuine elephant tusks. The accused had allegedly planned to sell the tusks for approximately Rs 3.5 crore.
The seized contraband includes two elephant tusks weighing about 11 kg and 20.6 kg respectively, along with bags and packing materials used for transportation. Police also recovered four mobile phones from the accused.
All items were seized and sealed as per procedure. The accused were taken into custody and brought to the police station for further legal action.
A case has been registered under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, including Sections 9, 39, 44, 48, 50, and 51. Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the tusks and identify other members of the wildlife trafficking network.
Earlier in February, the Poojappura police launched an investigation into the alleged theft of two elephant tusks worth ₹2 crore from the Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, with a suspected link to a DJ party held at the premises.
(IANS)
