Ivory objects worth Rs 50L seized, 2 held
Times of India
Mar 17, 2015
KOLKATA:
A person was arrested from his Salt Lake residence on Monday morning
for allegedly possessing elephant tusks and objects made of ivories.
Sources revealed that the items are worth Rs 50 lakh.
The
accused has been identified as Tapan Chakrabarty (65). Though there are
unconfirmed reports that he used to be a police officer, the Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials, who have conducted the raid,
said that they are verifying the same. They said that one of his
associates, Proshun Banerjee (32), too has been arrested. Banerjee is a
resident of Howrah's Liluah.
One tusk, 9 statuettes and other
objects made of ivories were seized from Chakrabarty's Salt Lake
residence. "The seized items are worth Rs 50 lakh," revealed an officer
of WCCB.
Sources revealed that the duo had plans to sell the
items. "We posed as buyers and raided Chakrabarty's residence at FC19
Block in Salt Lake. When the duo started showing us the products, we
caught them raid handed. While raiding the house, we also got hold of
an elephant tusk," said a WCCB official.
Sources said the
accused had put up an advertisement on an online shopping portal to
sell the items. Tracking that advertisement, the WCCB officials traced
the accused. Sources said that a kg of tusk is sold in black market for
anything between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000. The tusk of a full-grown
elephant weighs around seven to ten kgs.
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