Hubballi: In a first, Shivamogga forest mobile squad sleuths seized hippopotamus ivory, including nine teeth, from three men who were attempting to sell them thinking they are elephant tusks. The eleven-member team, led by Deputy Conservator of Forest Balachandra, conducted a raid near a village in Soraba posing as illegal buyers of animal artefacts based on a tip-off.
The busting of the illegal network has bewildered the raiding team and the forest department officials as this is the first such seizure in the state. A probe has been launched to find out as to how accused obtained the remains of the hippopotamus as it is found only in zoos, sanctuaries and protected forest reserves.
A cash counting machine and four vehicles used for transportation have also been seized and all the accused have been sent to judicial custody. The three accused have been identified as Mujafar(19) who works in a garment store, Zaheer (30), a dealer of electronic goods and Mohammad Danish (22) who works in a pest control agency.
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According to the information, the sleuths got in touch with the accused posing as illegal buyers and dealers of tusks and ivory. The team offered to pay a high price for the contraband. But the trio was under the impression that teeth were of elephant tusks. The trio reached Chandragutthi to sell the teeth when the officers, who were under the guise of buyers, rounded them up and seized the ivory.
"We have booked three people in connection with the illegal selling of ivory and tusks. The trio has been booked under the relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. The trade of ivory, animal artefacts can attract imprisonment up to 3 years. In some cases, the accused can be jailed for seven years with a penalty of Rs 10,000," said Balachandra Shekhar, Divisional Forest Officer of Shivamogga.
The accused confessed that they had recovered the tusks and ivory from an old house which belonged to an old couple. According to information, the old couple came from Tanzania had settled in Goa.
All the accused have been booked under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Shivamogga forest department is probing the possibility of any zoo racket in the area. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Wildlife Institute of India has also joined the forensic investigation.
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