11 June 2021

In the latest crackdown on wildlife offenders, the Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch on Friday arrested a man near Balichua village under Sarat police station jurisdiction of Mayurbhanj district and recovered around 5 kilograms of pangolin scales from his possession.

On a tip off, the STF personnel flanked by local forest officials conducted a raid and nabbed the accused Suren Purty.

“During the search 4 kg 820 gms pangolin scales and other incriminating materials were seized from his possession. The accused person could not produce any valid authority in support of possession of pangolin scales. He was later arrested and handed over to forest officials for necessary legal action at their end. Investigation is continuing”, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, STF, Jay Narayan Pankaj.

The India pangolin figures in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. It is trafficked for its scales and meat which is much in demand in China, Vietnam and south-east Asian countries.

more details