Haridwar Ivory Smuggling-7 kg of Ivory Seized in Uttarakhand, STF Arrests Three Smugglers

 In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, the Special Task Force (STF) and the Forest Department team have busted a major smuggling racket, arresting three smugglers with seven kilograms of ivory. 

Dehradun: Three interstate wildlife traffickers have been arrested in Shyampur, Haridwar district. Two elephant tusks weighing 7 kg each have been recovered from the traffickers. A case has been registered against the three traffickers under the Wildlife Protection Act at Shyampur police station. The traffickers are very cunning; one of them has been jailed for murder, and the other has served time under the Forest Act.

The arrested smugglers have been identified as Gautam Singh and Chandan Singh (both from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh) and Jitendra Saini (from Shyampur, Haridwar).These smugglers had been involved in the trafficking of wildlife parts for a long time and were caught while attempting to sell the ivory to a potential buyer. The seized ivory weighs seven kilograms.

Three traffickers arrested with elephant tusks: On July 27, a joint operation was conducted by the Special Task Force (STF), Terai Central Forest Division Rudrapur, and Shyampur police station team. Under this operation, two interstate wildlife traffickers, Gautam Singh and Chandan Singh from Bijnor (UP), were arrested in the Shyampur police station area of Haridwar. One elephant tusk (weighing about 7 kg) was recovered from their possession.

During interrogation, the names of two traffickers, Gautam Singh and Chandan Singh, were revealed. Consequently, Jitendra Singh was arrested late at night from the Shyampur area with another 7 kg elephant tusk. The arrested traffickers had been involved in wildlife trafficking for a long time. According to the police, one of the arrested traffickers, Gautam Singh, had been jailed for murder from Mandawali, Bijnor, in 2017, and Jitendra Saini had been jailed under the Forest Act from Shyampur police station.

Hunting elephants is a serious crime: STF SSP Ayush Agarwal stated that elephants are listed in the first schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act. Hunting them is a serious offense. A case has been registered against the arrested traffickers under the Wildlife Act at Shyampur police station.