Keonjhar: Forest department officials today arrested an ivory smuggler from National Highway No. 20 near Melana village under Ghatagaon Forest Range in Keonjhar district and seized two tusks weighing around 11 kg from his possession.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Forest department led by ACF Ghanshyam Mahanta was tracking the ivory smuggler since Friday and in the afternoon today pounced on him on NH no.20 near Melana village under Ghatagaon Forest range.
The team arrested the ivory smuggler and seized from his possession two tusks having a combined weight of 10.750 kg.
Forest department has come to know about a big racket involved in ivory smuggling and plans to soon tighten the noose around the necks of the other members of the racket.
