Burrabazar TMC leader arrested from Buxar in ivory smuggling case

In a major bust, a joint team of police and forest department officials raided a house in Devkuli village, located under the Brahmpur police station area of Buxar district, and arrested five people involved in elephant tusk smuggling. The police recovered two tusks weighing approximately 23 kg, worth lakhs of rupees in the illegal market. This operation came after authorities received a tip-off about a planned illegal sale of the tusks.

The house where the tusks were found belongs to Ashok Kumar Ojha, a resident of Devkuli. Ojha, who has been a key figure in the operation, is also a political leader. He previously served as the vice president of the North Kolkata Trinamool Hindi Cell and was closely associated with the Jorasanko MLA as a right-hand figure. He has been expelled from the party.

Along with Ashok Ojha, four others have been arrested. The arrested smugglers include Ganpat Sah (61) from Begusarai, Manoj Kumar Pandey from Pipra Jagdishpur, Paras Nath Ram from Karakat, and Dhananjay Prasad Singh from Tirasi Bigha, Rohtas. According to the police investigation, this smuggling ring had been planned to sell the tusks since an elephant had died in Devkuli during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police revealed that after the elephant’s death during the pandemic, a plan was hatched to sell its tusks illegally. The forest department officials confirmed that smuggling of elephant tusks is a severe offense under the Wildlife Protection Act. Legal action will be pursued against the accused to the fullest extent of the law. Further investigation is underway to trace any additional members involved in the smuggling network.