In a major crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking, the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police seized two elephant tusks worth an estimated ₹50 lakh and arrested one poacher in Boudh district on Sunday evening.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, an STF team led by DSP Rashmiranjan Pattnaik and Inspector Jitu Mohan Bassera intercepted the accused, identified as Pramod Parida, near Telibandha Chhak around 7 PM.
During a routine search, officers found two ivory tusks concealed in the suspect’s possession, intended for illegal sale on the black market.
The accused was immediately taken into custody, and the seized tusks were handed over to the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Boudh, for legal action under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
