GUWAHATI: In an operation carried out on Tuesday, a significant discovery was made as a 2.3 kg elephant tusk was confiscated from a train at Kamakhya Railway Station in the city’s Maligaon area.
The operation, conducted by the Government Railway Police (GRP), unfolded during a search operation on the Guwahati-bound Lachit Express.
Official sources revealed that the elephant tusk was recovered during this operation and also amidst which the law enforcement took an individual into custody in relation to this seizure.
Talking to G Plus the IC ASI of GRP stated, "We recovered the tusk today which is approximately 2.345 kg and we are going to submit it to the Forest Department."
The search operation was conducted in Train No. 15614 Up Lachit Express upon its arrival on Platform No. 4 at the Kamakhya Railway Station on Tuesday at around 7:30 AM in the morning, as confirmed by GRP officials to G Plus.
The arrested has been identified as Sandeep Joshi (46), a resident of Jaipur city in the state of Rajasthan.
Upon the train's arrival, the RPF-GRP team intervened, conducting a thorough inspection of the passengers. Their attention was drawn to one particular individual who appeared suspicious.
Further scrutiny revealed that he was carrying a handbag containing a small piece of elephant teeth.
The discovery led to intensified interrogation, during which the detained passenger failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the presence of the unusual item in his possession.
Subsequently, the decision was made to take the individual into custody as doubts surrounding the origins and intentions of the elephant teeth persisted.
The recovered item was seized as evidence. The detained passenger was subsequently de-boarded from Train No. 15614 at Kamakhya Railway Station.