New Delhi, July 13: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled several wildlife trafficking networks across India in a series of intelligence-led operations, seizing more than 440 endangered and protected animals, around 15 kg of elephant ivory and ivory artefacts, and arresting 33 persons involved in the illegal trade.
According to an official statement issued on Monday, the coordinated nationwide crackdown targeted organised wildlife trafficking syndicates operating across multiple states and international smuggling routes.
One of the major operations was conducted on July 10 near Sujangarh in Rajasthan, where DRI officers intercepted a group involved in the illegal trade of elephant ivory. The operation led to the seizure of approximately 11 kg of elephant ivory, while four suspects were apprehended and later handed over to the Forest Department for action under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, providing it the highest level of legal protection. The commercial trade, import and export of ivory are prohibited in India in accordance with the country’s commitments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Foreign Trade Policy.
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In Howrah, West Bengal, DRI officers arrested two individuals and seized two ivory idols of Hindu deities, which are suspected to have been smuggled into India from Bangladesh.
In another operation in Mysuru, Karnataka, officials recovered approximately 4 kg of elephant ivory and apprehended three persons allegedly involved in its illegal trade before handing them over to the Forest Department.
A major breakthrough came during a joint operation conducted on July 7 and 8, when an interstate wildlife trafficking syndicate was busted across Maharashtra and West Bengal. The operation, described as the first of its kind, was jointly carried out by the DRI Mumbai, the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Economic Offences Branch (CBI-EOB), Mumbai, with support from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
The operation resulted in the rescue of several Schedule I protected species, including 15 slow lorises, two binturongs, 28 Indian star tortoises, six Egyptian vultures and two shikra birds. Six accused were apprehended and subsequently arrested by the CBI, which is now investigating the case based on intelligence developed by the DRI.
The DRI also foiled multiple attempts to smuggle protected wildlife into India through international airports by passengers arriving from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo. Seized species included albino red-eared turtles, bearded dragons, African spurred tortoises, Borneo pythons, green iguanas, mangrove monitor lizards, Argentine black-and-white tegus, Goeldi’s marmosets, yellow-cheeked gibbons, Indonesian blue-tongued skinks, siamang gibbons, woolly monkeys, silvery lutungs, yellow-bellied ball pythons and pastel ball pythons, among other protected animals.
The nationwide operations, conducted across Bengaluru, Warangal, Pune, Surat, Chennai, Kolkata, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Srikakulam, Hojai (Assam), Rajasthan, Mysuru and Howrah, also led to the seizure of wildlife products including pangolin scales, leopard pelts, seahorse-based products, red sanders, and several protected reptiles, birds, mammals and snakes.
The DRI said the operations were carried out in close coordination with the CBI, WCCB, Airport Intelligence Units of Customs, State Forest Departments and local police authorities.
The agency said the sustained intelligence-driven enforcement efforts reflect its commitment to dismantling organised wildlife crime syndicates, curbing transnational trafficking networks and fulfilling India’s obligations under CITES to protect endangered wildlife and conserve the country’s biodiversity.
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