Elephant Tusks Recovered In Bokajan, One Arrested

A Correspondent

Bokajan: Bokajan Police foiled a bid to smuggle two elephant tusks and arrested one person named Barnes Ind from Japrajan area in East Karbi Anglong on Sunday. According to reports, acting on a tip off, the police raided the residence of one Barnes Ind in the Japrajan locality and recovered two 2.2-foot long ivory tusks weighting over 10 kg from his possession. Preliminary investigation revealed that the tusks were extracted from a poached elephant in the forested areas of Karbi Anglong and was kept for sale in his residence for an undisclosed amount of money.

The arrested person being a professional hunter and dealer of smuggled wildlife parts, there are extreme possibilities that these tusks belonged to an elephant which was recovered with its tusk missing from the Bormanthi area under Bokajan East Forest Division back in November, 2018.

The demand for ivory and other wildlife parts in South East Asian countries has led to the increase in wildlife poaching activities in the north-eastern States. Earlier in March, 2019, Khatkhati Police had made a seizure of a 1-foot long elephant tusk which was brought for sale into Assam for an amount of Rs 2,25,000. Two Naga youths were also arrested in connection.