A man was arrested in Hooghly district for allegedly trying to sell ivory statuettes on Wednesday. The accused, Narayan Majhi, in his 40s, is a resident of Begampur in Hooghly, around 32km northwest of Kolkata.
Based on a tip-off, officials from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Howrah forest division conducted a raid on his house posing as buyers.
Four ivory statuettes were seized from him. “Each item would cost at least a few lakhs of rupees in the grey market,” a forest official said.
Elephants are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Killing the animal or keeping any ivory item can invite three to seven years in jail and a fine that can run up to Rs 25,000.
Majhi will be produced in court on Thursday.
