Siliguri: Two held with elephant tusk

Siliguri: Forest personnel from Kurseong Division’s Ghoshpukur Range arrested two alleged wildlife traffickers and recovered an elephant tusk during a special operation conducted on the Bagdogra-Siliguri stretch of Asian Highway 2 on Saturday night.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ganesh Basfor, a resident of Nepal, and Kamal Agarwal of Siliguri.

According to Forest department sources, the operation was carried out based on specific intelligence inputs.

Acting swiftly, a Forest department team intercepted a Nepal-registered four-wheeler on the flyover along the Asian Highway. A thorough search of the vehicle led to the recovery of an elephant tusk measuring approximately 35 centimetres in length and weighing 1.105 kilograms.

Both suspects were immediately taken into custody on charges of possessing and attempting to traffic prohibited wildlife body parts. The vehicle used in the crime was also seized for further investigation.

Assistant Divisional Forest Officer (ADFO) Rahul Dev Mukherjee said: “Several international wildlife trafficking rackets operate through North Bengal, using the Siliguri corridor—popularly known as the chicken’s neck—as a transit route.” Both accused have been produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Sunday. Further investigation is in progress.