One held with four tusks worth crores in Assam’s Chariali

Shillong: Sleuths of the customs department arrested a person and seized four elephant tusks valued at several crores of rupees in Assam’s Chariali area, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, customs officers intercepted the person, confiscating 28 kg of elephant tusks on Wednesday.
In a statement, Customs (preventive) HQ said, “Following intelligence on illicit ivory trade, customs officers in Shillong moved to Biswanath Chariali and seized four cut pieces of tusks totaling 27.992 kg.The case was handed over to wildlife authorities. The department acknowledges the support of Biswanath police and forest authorities.”
Over the past year, the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), NER, has seized pangolin scales totaling 68.87kg, 11.5kg of ambergris (whale vomit), 360 grams of elephant tusk, as well as protected exotic species like hornbills, flame bowerbirds, and a baby orangutan, in operations spanning Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Assam.
These species are protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora as well as the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the statement added. PTI