Varanasi: Sonbhadra police have arrested three wildlife smugglers with 10.60 kg elephant tusk valued at over Rs 2.50 crores in international market.
SP Sonbhadra Amarendra Prasad Singh on Tuesday said, “Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Karma police and forest department’s Robertsganj officials cordoned of the Sonbhadra-Mirzapur highway and intercepted three motorcycle-borne persons near Ram Manohar Lohia Degree College Dilahi.” When their bags were checked, two elephant tusks were recovered.
The arrested persons were identified as Parmeshwar Prajapati of Kushinisf village, Bhaiyalal Maurya and Dharmlala Maurya of Atrauli village in Ghorawal area of the district, he added.
The tusks were 10.60 kg in weight.
The cost of the tusks was estimated at Rs 2.50 crores in the international market.
During investigation, it surfaced that they had brought the tusks from Singrauli and were taking it to Varanasi to deliver it to some person.
He said, “Names of two more persons in their syndicate have come to light and police teams have been engaged for their arrest.” Earlier, two wildlife smugglers had also been arrested with eight kilogrammes of elephant tusks at Telibagh area under Chetganj police station.
In other cases like recovery of 13 kilogrammes elephant tusks by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths from a person arrested in West Bengal, it had come to light that the consignment was being taken to Varanasi from Assam in February 2020.
However, despite the recent arrest of wildlife smugglers and their revelation that elephant tusks were being taken to Varanasi, the cops and other agencies have so far failed to identify the people or syndicates in Varanasi involved in the ivory trade.