Keonjhar: Keonjhar Forest Division in Odisha has recovered four elephant tusks weighing over 5 kg and arrested five people for their alleged involvement in smuggling animal body parts, officials said.
Based on inputs provided by the Similipal Wildlife Intelligence Network, a special team was formed Thursday, they said.
“Today, around 10am, the team raided the premises of a person at Balibeda village, where the five accused were found in possession of four elephant tusks. They were arrested,” a forest department official said.
When they were asked to produce legal documentation for the tusks, they failed to provide any, confirming the illegal nature of their activity, he said.
All the arrested accused hail from Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts.
Apart from the tusks, four mobile phones and two motorcycles were also seized by the team, the official said.
A case has been registered under different sections of The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2022.
The price of 1 kg of ivory ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, another official said.
PTI