Sundargarh: In a significant crackdown on wildlife trafficking, forest officials from the Bonai Forest Division arrested three persons on Monday while they were attempting to illegally sell elephant tusks near Solguda village in Sundargarh district.
The accused have been identified as Thomas Tete (59), Kuwanra Bilung (50), and Shatrughan Nayak—all residents of Solguda village under Gurundia police limits. The arrests were made following a four-month-long surveillance operation based on intelligence inputs, officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Lalit Kumar Patra confirmed the development during a press briefing on Monday.
“Based on specific intelligence, our field staff laid a trap by posing as potential buyers and managed to nab the accused red-handed this morning in Kunjar village,” he said.
Two teams led by Assistant Conservators of Forests (ACFs) Jagannath Bishoi and Nalini Kant Behera conducted the operation. Forest officials seized two ivory tusks weighing 1.2 kg and a Splendor Plus motorcycle (registration number ODI 15M-1388) allegedly used in the smuggling attempt.
The DFO added that further investigation is underway to determine the origin of the tusks and whether the accused are part of a larger wildlife trafficking network.
