Ivory seized from duo, finger at smuggle ring

Forest officer Sanjoy Dutta, along with the arrested duo and seized items, in his office at Belakoba

TT, Jalpaiguri: Ivory and foreign currency were seized from two Kalimpong residents arrested on Monday in Siliguri, with forest officials pointing to an animal parts smuggling racket.

Foresters from Jalpaiguri's Belakoba Range acted on a tip-off and picked up the duo on Monday night after intercepting a car in the Gandhi Maidan area of Siliguri.

Ivory weighing 1.5kg, along with sedatives, cough syrups, foreign currencies and some other items were found with them.

"We had information that some people will smuggle animal parts to Nepal. The items were supposed to be handed over at Gandhi Maidan. We formed a team and reached at the place. A car reached the location," said Sanjoy Dutta, range officer of the Belakoba Forest Range.

As the foresters tried intercepted the car, four of the occupants escaped while two were caught. They have been identified as Zulfikar Ansari and Jung Bahadur Biswakarma, both residents of Kalimpong.

"We seized the ivory piece and other items from them. During interrogation, they have revealed the names of some people involved in animal parts smuggling. Both had plans to smuggle the ivory to Nepal. We also have information that such items are being brought here from Bhutan and the Northeast and then smuggled to Nepal and Bihar," said Dutta.

Foresters are probing how the group got the foreign currency, including US dollars.