DRI seizes four elephant tusks in Hyderabad, three held
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence foiled a suspected ivory sale in Banjara Hills on Thursday, seizing four elephant tusks weighing about 17 kg and intricately carved ivory articles, and detaining three people.
Acting on intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the transaction and recovered the tusks along with carved ivory articles. The three apprehended persons are being questioned to establish ownership and the route the ivory took before the attempted sale.
The seizure was made under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which bans trade in elephant ivory and makes commercial dealing in such articles illegal. Investigators described the operation as part of wider nationwide efforts to disrupt wildlife trafficking networks.
Forensic tracing will now try to establish the tusks' source and whether the case links to a broader trafficking network; no wider arrests have been reported so far.
