Wildlife body parts, ammunition seized in Chirang; four held after late-night raid
Seized items include porcupine quills, tiger parts, elephant tusk — pointing to suspected wildlife trafficking in the district
Chirang, July 16: In a major crackdown on suspected wildlife trafficking, Chirang Police, on Tuesday night, raided the homes of four individuals, including a woman, and seized a cache of animal body parts and hunting equipment.
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).
The four accused were taken to Bijni Police Station along with all seized items and later remanded to judicial custody.
Four individuals including a woman was arrested (AT Photo)
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Chirang District Superintendent of Police Akshat Garg said that the case is under active investigation.
“We have recovered these items from the houses of the individuals and the police have launched an investigation. We cannot make a statement now as investigation in this matter is ongoing,” Garg said.
Sources said that police suspect the four were involved in the illegal hunting and trade of protected wildlife species.
During the raid, a substantial quantity of animal remains and suspicious items were recovered.
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.
According to local sources, a majority of the animal parts were found at the residence of Samar Singh Basumatary.
The police also recovered three iron hunting traps from the house of Pradip Narzary.
Authorities also seized various materials suspected to be used in the manufacturing of firearms, including a pistol grip, iron pipes (used for crafting gun barrels), bullets, springs, a broken trigger and barrel, suspected explosives, and an electric drilling machine.
Eighteen rounds of live ammunition were also found.
Police officials have not ruled out the possibility of a wider wildlife trafficking network operating in the region.