Tusks seized from New Alipore house

Alipore: Two elephant tusks weighing around 31kg were seized from a house in New Alipore Block B on Tuesday

One of the tusks is 148cm-long and has a girth of 35cm, while the other has a length of 132cm and a girth of 34cm.

"The tusks were found in the possession of Rabin Paul. We are trying to find out the ownership before taking further action," an officer of the CID said.

The team that raided the New Alipore house following a "specific" tip-off comprised representatives of the CID and the wildlife wing of the state forest department. Calcutta police helped the raiding team.

Possessing or trading in ivory is banned around the world.

A kilogram of uncarved ivory can cost anything between Rs 20,000 and Rs 70,000 in the black market, while intricately carved items can fetch up to crores of rupees.

"Ivory trade within India has come down significantly. Poachers usually target the illegal markets in China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and some other Asian countries where the demand for ivory is high.

There, ivory is used in personalised nameplates, statues, and other items," a forest department official said.

Elephant are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Killing the animal or keeping any ivory item can attract at least three years in jail and a fine of Rs-50,000.

India is home to 27,300 of the 50,000-odd Asian elephants found across the world, according to the 2017 count. At the turn of the century, there were 2,50,000 Asian elephants in 13 countries.

More than 80 elephants were killed in India over the past three years.

A report released by the environment ministry states that Karnataka has the largest number of elephants, followed by Assam and Kerala.

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Hanoi customs officer caught stealing 150kg of elephant tusks

Legal procedures for embezzling property are currently underway against Pham Minh Hoang, a public servant at the Hanoi customs department, by the municipal police department.

Two of Hoang’s accomplices were also arrested to support the investigation.

An announcement made by the Hanoi customs department on Thursday confirmed that Hoang was serving as the keeper of the agency’s warehouse.

The customs officer abused his role to steal and sell a 150-kilogram shipment of ivory that had been confiscated by the customs department and stored at the facility.

Hoang is currently suspended from his position to facilitate the probe.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs asserted that a stern punishment is expected to be imposed upon the corrupted officer, in accordance with the law,

It also ordered the Hanoi customs department to carry out a comprehensive review of its organization and policies and correct any shortcomings or loopholes in the management of confiscated products.

The agency is coordinating with the municipal police to identify additional accomplices and return stolen products.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the matter.

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