Crime
Rare Atlantic walrus tusk seized in Maha’s Ratnagiri, probe launched
For the first time in India, the tusk of a rare Atlantic walrus was seized, from a coastal village in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, officials said on Thursday.
Following a confidential tip-off on August 31, Forest Department teams from Ratnagiri and Satara, along with the CI) laid a trap and nabbed three accused red-handed with the booty from Hatkhamba village.
“The three arrested are from Goa and Maharashtra. We have recovered the tusk, approximately 15-16 inches long, of an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus Rosmarus),” Honorary. Wildlife Warden Rohan Bhate, who is also Member of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), told IANS.
Teams of wildlife sleuths have been formed to conduct a nationwide operation to track the gang behind the Atlantic walrus ivory tusk smuggling, their associates, the buyers, etc.
Ratnagiri Range Forest Officer Priyanka Lagad said that this is the first-ever such seizure of a walrus tusk since these marine animals are found only in the icy shores of northern hemisphere, around 10,000 kms from here.
“The challenge before the investigations is to find how the tusk has reached Maharashtra, who are the other players, how big is the racket and what are its larger ramifications,” she said.
However, Lagad declined to reveal the exact quantity/weight of the large tusk, its market value and other details owing to operational reasons and to avoid alerting the others who could be involved in the crime.
Bhate said that following the interrogation of the accused trio, the teams will go to other Indian states and are likely to effect more seizures of wild creatures or their valuable organs.
As far as the atlantic walrus tusk’s valuation, most experts and wildlifers term it as “invaluable” and beyond comparison with the elephant tusks that are the favourite of ivory smugglers globally.
The accused smugglers nabbed were identified as M. Numan Yasin Naik, 42, of Permem, Goa, Hemant Suresh Kander, 38 of Kankavali and Rajan Dayal Pange, 58 of Malvan, both in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district.
The team has also seized a car in which the tusk was being transported to an unknown location for a sale, and all the accused have been charged under the Section 49(c), of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and CITES.
Bhate said that the laws are so stringent that besides the smugglers, any dealers in such ivory brought into the country illegally, manufacturers or buyers can be booked.
The sensitive operation was carried out under the guidance of Chief Conservator of Forests, Kolhapur D. Clement Ben, Assistant Conservator of Forests Sachin Nilakh, Divisional Forest Officer Deepak Khade, Satara Forest Range Officer Sachin Dombale and other team members.
Walrus is a huge flippered, deep-diving marine mammal, weighing over two tonnes, with the tusk measuring upto one metre long, and is found only in the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, around the North Pole, and the sub-Arctic seas in the Northern Hemisphere.
Massive hunting had depleted the walrus populations massively in the last century but their numbers are gradually increasing with protection measures by several countries in the far north.
Crime
Mumbai: Man Stabbed To Death After He Intervenes To Settle Dispute In Sion Koliwada; Antop Hill Police Arrest 5
Mumbai: A 22-year-old was murdered in the early hours of Friday in Mumbai’s Sion Koliwada area after an argument broke out over noise pollution. The Antop Hill police have registered an FIR in the case and so far five people have been arrested and further investigation is underway.
The incident took place around 12:30 am in Kokri Agar In Jai Maharashtra Nagar, Antop Hill. Vivek Gupta (22) was attacked with a knife and he succumbed to his injuries. As initial information available, a group of people were making noise causing disturbance on the street which lead to an argument broke out. Gupta had gone to resolve the dispute between the accused, however, angered over his interference, Gupta was attacked.
What started as a small fight soon escalated and Gupta was attacked with a knife. He was immediately taken to Sion Hospital, however, he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 am. The senior police officers of Mumbai Police Zone 4 were present at the hospital. The cops have so far arrested five suspects connected to this incident, and further investigation is underway.
The arrested accused are: Karthik R Mohan Devendra, Karthik Kumar Devendra, Vicky Muttu Devendra, Miniappan Ravi Devendra and the wife of Karthik R Mogan, the police informed. The case is registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
Crime
Mumbai: 6 Booked For Defrauding Stock Trader Of ₹1.5 Cr In Bitcoin Investment Scam
Mumbai: The Bandra police have registered an FIR against six persons for allegedly defrauding a stock trader of nearly Rs 1.50 crore in a Bitcoin investment scam. The suspects fled even before the case was filed, prompting a manhunt. They have been identified as Abur Sode, Dhanjibhai Rawaria, Jishan Shaikh, Indrajit Latif, Abdul Latif, and Ramkumar Dharmak, all from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
The complainant in the case, Yogesh More, 50, is a resident of Parel and operates a stock trading business in the Marwari area in Bandra West. He met the accused three years ago, during which they introduced themselves as representatives of a company called Friptex Finsol, claiming to offer Bitcoin as a virtual currency.
Trusting them, More transferred around Rs42 lakh in cash and Rs1.08 crore via cheque to various bank accounts associated with the company for Bitcoin purchases between November 2021 and October 2024. Despite these payments, he did not receive the promised Bitcoins, and after multiple inquiries, the accused continued to evade him. Over the last three years, neither the Bitcoins nor a refund was provided.
Complaint Lodged At Bandra Police Station
Suspecting fraud, he began investigating and discovered that Friptex Finsol was a bogus company, and the accused had orchestrated a scam. He then lodged a complaint with the Bandra police. Following an initial inquiry, the police registered a case against six persons under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A police officer said that the accused are from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. “The preliminary inquiry has not revealed any past criminal history. We are searching for the accused,” the officer added.
Crime
West Bengal: Youth Arrested For Rape Of Deaf & Mute Woman In South 24 Parganas’ Kultali
Kolkata: A youth was arrested on the charges of raping a deaf and mute woman at a deserted building in Kultali in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Even as the main accused in the case has been arrested, the local people had been agitating claiming that a local Trinamool Congress panchayat chief Prahlad Nashkar allegedly pressurised family members of the victim to settle the matter against Rs 2,00,000.
However, Nashkar has denied the allegations, saying he was the first to reach the spot and inform the family members of the victim about the incident.
Complaint Filed
The victim’s family members filed a complaint on Wednesday evening. Thereafter, the police started an investigation and based on circumstantial evidence, the accused youth was arrested.
He will be presented at a district court in South 24 Parganas on Thursday only and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody, a district police official said.
Part Of Kultali & Jaynagar Turn Into Virtual Battlefields
In the first week of this month, part of Kultali and adjacent Jaynagar turned into virtual battlefields over violent protests by the local people over the rape and murder of a minor girl there.
At that point in time, the main allegation of the local people was against the police and the latter ignored the missing complaint by the parents of the victim. The local people also alleged that had the police been active in tracking the victim minor, the heinous crime could have been averted.
The protesters became violent and attacked the police station. A local police camp was ransacked and set on fire. The police had to resort to massive lathi-charge to dispel the mob then.
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