Man arrested with wild elephant parts in Bijni, wildlife trafficking attempt foiled
Bijni police arrested Kamal Mondal from Dailongjar and seized parts of a wild elephant in an operation led by SDPO Rupjyoti Dutta and OC Nilotpol Saikia under Panbari Police Station.
The arrested person with the police officials
Bijni, July 26: The Bijni police on Saturday arrested a man in possession of parts of a wild elephant and tiger. The operation was carried out in 3 No. Dailongjar under the jurisdiction of Panbari Police Station.
Acting on a tip-off, a swift operation was launched by a police team led by Rupjyoti Dutta, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Bijni, and Nilutpal Saikia, Officer-in-Charge of Panbari Police Station. During the raid, Kamal Mondal, aged 40, was arrested and a number of wild animal parts, reportedly from elephant and tiger, were recovered. A motorcycle used in the illegal trade was also seized.
According to police sources, the confiscated items are believed to be parts of a wild elephant and some organs of, though the exact nature and quantity of the parts are yet to be disclosed. The case is currently under investigation, and authorities have not ruled out the involvement of a larger wildlife trafficking network operating in the region.
The arrest has raised serious concerns about ongoing wildlife smuggling activities in the Chirang district, especially along forested and rural belts that border wildlife habitats. Police will continue vigilance and follow-up operations to dismantle such illegal wildlife trade rackets.
Earlier on July 16, Chirang Police raided the homes of four individuals, including a woman, and seized a cache of animal body parts and hunting equipment.
Among the seized items were bones of wild animals, an object suspected to be an elephant tusk, four large wild boar tusks, five other tusks believed to be from wild animals, a suspected tiger tongue, a patch of what appeared to be tiger fur, a portion of pangolin skin, 20 porcupine quills and dried remains of unidentified animals.
The operation was launched following a tip-off and led to the arrest of Pradip Narzary (45), Samar Singh Basumatary (52), Kanchan Daimary (40), and Binanshree Basumatary (40).
Sources said that police suspect the four were involved in the illegal hunting and trade of protected wildlife species.