Bolangir: Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch Tuesday seized an elephant tusk and arrested a wildlife criminal in this connection near Gudvela village under Tusura police limits in Bolangir.
Based on information about illegal possession of elephant tusk by the arrested man, a team of the STF raided a place under Bolangir division with the help of Deogoan territorial forest range officials.
A source said that the accused has been identified as Bipul Bagh of Nimusingh locality under Tusura police limits of the district.
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Following thorough search, the tusk along with several incriminating instruments was seized. The tusk weighed around 9kg, a senior STF official informed.
As the accused could not produce any valid document in support of possessing the elephant tusk, he was arrested and handed over to Bolangir forest officials for further legal action.
It is pertinent to mention here that the STF has launched a special drive against wildlife criminals since 2020 and seized as many as 21 leopard hides, 12 tusks, two deer hides, eight live pangolins and more than 15 kilogram of pangolin scales.
The STF has arrested as many as 48 wildlife criminals and registered cases during the last one year.
PNN