kolkata: Acting on a tip off, the Special Operations Group(SOG) of Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district on Friday night recovered two bear cubs which were being smuggled to the state from Bangladesh.
However, no one could be apprehended by the police during the raid. The two cubs of Himalayan Black Bear have been sent to the Alipore Zoological Garden for medical treatment.
"We had a tip off of the smuggling act and accordily search operation was conducted in the bordering area from Friday afternoon itself. However, ultimately success came at around 9 pm at night when the two cubs were recovered from Ghospara village in Hasnabad," a senior police official said.
According to sources, the eastern region of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) also had a tip off regarding the smuggling and accordingly planning was made to foil the illegal act in Kolkata. However, the police were alert too and did the needful in the border itself.
The bear cubs were first handed over to the officials of the Forest department and were then sent to Alipore Zoo for treatment.
"It is for the first time at least in the last six years when bear cubs have been recovered," Agni Mitra, Deputy Director (WCCB) eastern region said.