Assam, India: The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police on Wednesday recovered 15.2 kg of illegally smuggled elephant tusks during an anti-poaching operation near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The STF launched an operation near the state border in collaboration with the Dhemaji police based on specific information.

“The tusks were found at a house in an extremely remote village named Kemi near the state border. We identified one smuggler, but he managed to escape. A search operation is about to nab him,” officials said. According to the police, they received information about the smuggling of elephant body parts. “We searched a house under the jurisdiction of Jonai Police station, but the owner fled before we reached,” the police said. The poacher took advantage of the dense forest in the area to escape, the police said, adding that they recovered his motorcycle along with the ivory.

The STF later handed over the elephant tusks to forest officials. The forest department has complained to Pait and the police have also registered a case against him. In February this year, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCC) in a joint operation with the local police recovered elephant tusks weighing 3.731 kg and arrested one person from the Tamulpur district of Assam. Last year, several persons were arrested in Assam with elephant tusks and body parts of other animals, including tigers. A group of poachers were found staying inside Assam forests for months. They allegedly killed tigers, rhinos and other creatures and collected a large amount of animal body parts.

Source: (Hindustan Times)