With the arrest of seven wildlife criminals, the Odisha forest department on Wednesday claimed to have busted a well-knit ivory trade racket by intercepting the gang by posing as buyers of the wildlife trophies.
The ivory smugglers, who are natives of the Balasore district, were arrested following a raid in the Kaptipada area of Mayurbhanj district. As many as seven tusks, weighing around 100 kilogrammes, were seized from their possession, officials said.
The accused persons are being remanded in judicial custody under relevant penal provisions and the Wildlife Protection Act, the officials said.
The arrested persons are being interrogated and are suspected of being agents of an interstate racket thriving in Jharkhand and the northeastern states.
Acting on a specific tip-off, the ivory smuggling racket was busted. This three-way racket involved local poachers who killed endangered animals and extracted tusks from adult elephants. The forest officials posed as prospective buyers to apprehend the accused persons with the tusks, the officials added.