Ivory artefacts seized by wildlife bureau in Bengal; 1 held

The ivory artefacts were seized during a joint raid by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the West Bengal Forest department.

KOLKATA: Four ivory statues were seized at Kharsarai in Bengal’s Hooghly district on Wednesday during a joint raid by officers of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of the union ministry of environment, forest and climate change and the West Bengal Forest department, officials said.

Four ivory statues were seized during the raid at Kharsarai in Bengal’s Hooghly district. Officials said the suspect wanted to sell the statues. (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Eastern Region)

“A joint raid was conducted after we received a tip-off. One person was arrested and four statues were seized from his possession. The suspect wanted to sell the statues. We have started an investigation,” said Agni Mitra, deputy director, WCCB (eastern region).

The government of India does not make any valuation of wildlife articles as a matter of policy to stop smuggling, said Mitra.

Wildlife articles and live birds and animals were seized from several locations in Bengal in recent years. The state is often used as a transit point by smugglers, officials said.