May 21, 2025
May 21, 2025
ITANAGAR, Apr 11: The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police on Wednesday recovered 15.2 kg of illegally smuggled elephant tusk during an anti-poaching operation near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Acting on specific information, the STF launched the operation in collaboration with the Dhemaji police, targeting a remote village named Kemi near the state border.
"During the operation, tusks were found at a house in Kemi village. We identified one smuggler, but he managed to escape. A search operation is underway to nab him," an official said.
The police received information about the smuggling of elephant body parts and searched a house under the jurisdiction of Jonai Police station. However, the owner had fled before the police arrived.
The poacher, identified as Dibas Pait, took advantage of the dense forest in the area to escape. The police recovered his motorcycle along with the ivory.
The STF handed over the seized elephant tusks to forest officials. The forest department has lodged a complaint against Pait, and the police have registered a case against him.
In a similar incident in February this year, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in a joint operation with local police recovered 3.731 kg of elephant tusk and arrested one person in 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.
