TRINATH MOHANTY, OP
Bhubaneswar: Special Task Force (STF), which is investigating the alleged trafficking of five baby orangutans rescued from a forested area in Baleshwar district, suspects that more than 16 agents were involved in the racket, indicating that the network extended beyond Dighabased Grand Heritage Hotel owner Jayanta Maiti and his son, Soumyadeep Maiti, an official said.
The STF is searching for the father and son who are suspected of masterminding the alleged wildlife trafficking operation. After examining CCTV footage from Baleshwar and Kolkata, investigators learnt that the two are suspected to have fled to Nepal.
The STF has sought assistance from Interpol and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to trace and apprehend them, said the official Monday.
“Not just Jayanta and his son, more than 16 agents are believed to have been involved in the racket. While the main operator of the orangutan trafficking network is believed to be based outside India, Jayanta and his son most likely managed the operation within the country,” the official pointed out.
The agents provided information on the movements of police and forest officials along designated routes after receiving instructions through messages, the official said, adding that they were also responsible for ensuring that the animals reached specified locations.
Former National Tiger Conservation Authority additional director general and former Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) joint director Anup Nayak said Jayanta and his son may not be the main accused.
“They could be only small links in a much larger network, with other people operating above them,” Nayak said. He said the progress of the investigation would depend on cooperation between the West Bengal and Odisha police. Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing Jayanta and his son travelling abroad has gone viral on social media.
Its date and location have not been independently established. The STF investigation has reportedly found that the footage is more than 45 days old. While the country they visited has not been conclusively identified, investigators suspect the video was recorded in Indonesia.
If the footage was recorded in Indonesia, investigators suspect the two may have travelled there in connection with the deal. The animals were allegedly transported as part of a larger operation through Myanmar and then to West Bengal, reportedly by sea.
They were allegedly kept at Jayanta’s hotel, where several people arrived to negotiate the deal. A dispute over money and the transaction allegedly led to the deal falling through. The five orangutans were subsequently abandoned in a forest in Baleshwar, following which the father and son allegedly fled.
The STF has questioned employees and family members of Jayanta. They have denied any knowledge of the alleged trafficking operation. Investigators have so far found no evidence against them and no action has been taken.
The STF is also examining data recovered from a hard drive seized from the hotel. Investigators are checking details of visitors, vehicles entering and leaving the premises, and the dates and times of their movements. CCTV footage is being examined frame by frame.
Nayak said it was not yet clear whether the five orangutan cubs came from the wild or were bred in captivity. The STF is investigating the case in coordination with the WCCB’s regional office in Kolkata.
Investigators suspect the cubs were transported by land. If they were brought through a waterway, however, it could raise serious security and wildlife-trafficking concerns for Odisha.
