Connect with us
Wednesday,20-August-2025
Breaking News

Crime

Rare Atlantic walrus tusk seized in Maha’s Ratnagiri, probe launched

Published

on

Rare-Atlantic-walrus-tusk

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 Crime News: Ola Driver Stabbed To Death In Malad After Clash With Illegal Parking Mafia

Published

on

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 27-year-old Ola driver, Sahil Gujjar, was brutally stabbed to death late Saturday night after an altercation with members of the illegal parking mafia in Malad.

The incident took place on Lagoon Road near Plot No. 50 in Malwani, where Gujjar had gone to return his rented car. According to police sources, a heated dispute erupted between the car owner and a man who was running an unauthorized parking operation in the area. When Gujjar tried to intervene, the situation escalated.

The accused reportedly called in reinforcements, and within minutes, nearly 10 to 15 men surrounded and attacked Gujjar. Amid the violent scuffle, he was stabbed in the stomach. Passersby rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Sunday.

The Malwani Police have registered a case of murder and are identifying those involved in the attack. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage and conducting raids to track down the accused.

Similar Incident

In another incident, a 32-year-old man was killed in Sakinaka after a quarrel over parking escalated into a brutal assault. The incident had raised concerns about the unchecked operations of parking mafias across the city, often operating under the radar in busy residential and commercial zones.

The Malad case has once again highlighted the growing menace of such mafias and the urgent need for stricter policing. Residents have demanded that authorities crack down on unauthorized parking operators, warning that unchecked turf wars are putting ordinary citizens at risk.

Police said investigations are ongoing, and multiple teams have been deployed to arrest the accused at the earliest.

Continue Reading

Crime

Mumbai Customs Arrest Two Passengers With 8.5 Kg Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹8.56 Crore From Bangkok

Published

on

Mumbai: The Mumbai airport customs officials arrested two passengers for allegedly smuggling hydroponic weed worth Rs8.56 crore from Bangkok. The accused, Mohammad Swail, 23, and Sameer Khan, 21, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, were intercepted on Saturday while crossing the green channel at T2, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, based on spot profiling.

Passengers Admit Possession of Hydroponic Weed

On searching their baggage, customs officers recovered packets containing green dry leafy substance, identified as flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant, commonly called Hydroponic Weed, covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act. A total of 8,562 grams of weed was seized. During questioning, both admitted knowledge, possession, concealment, and recovery of the narcotics. Investigations also revealed the involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced.

A customs official said efforts are underway to identify associates and determine who was to receive the consignment. Advocates Prabhakar Tripathi and Shubham Upadhyay argued in court that the accused were misled into carrying the baggage, believing it contained food items, and had no knowledge of the concealed drugs. Both were remanded to judicial custody.

Continue Reading

Crime

32-Year-Old Man Arrested For Hoax Bomb Threat To Mumbai Police Control Room; Suspect Was Drunk & Had Past Record Of Similar Calls

Published

on

Mumbai: Panic gripped the Mumbai Police force on Thursday evening after the control room received a call from an unidentified person claiming that a bomb would be detonated inside a suburban local train — the city’s lifeline. Within hours, the Azad Maidan police special team traced and arrested the caller, identified as Suraj Dharma Jadhav (32), from Kalina, Santacruz.

According to police officials, Jadhav, who is addicted to alcohol, has a past record of making similar hoax bomb threat calls to the police.

About The Case

On Thursday, after consuming liquor, he allegedly phoned the police control room and declared that he would trigger a blast in a suburban train before abruptly disconnecting the call. When police dialed back, the number was found switched off.

With Independence Day around the corner, senior police officials took the threat very seriously and directed the local police, Railway Police, and the Crime Branch to conduct immediate checks. Security was tightened across railway stations, with increased deployment, baggage checks, and inspection of suspicious individuals. However, no suspicious object was found.

Investigators traced the call to Kalina and picked up Jadhav for questioning. During interrogation, he confessed to making the hoax bomb threat. Police revealed that he had earlier been arrested for a similar offense and was out on bail. Despite having been bound down previously under preventive action by the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office, Jadhav repeated the offense. Authorities have now warned that stricter action will be taken if he violates the bond conditions again.

Meanwhile, the Railway Police Force (RPF) and local police continued heightened vigilance at key stations following the threat.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending