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

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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 Shocker! Man Shot, Stabbed To Death In Kurla; 3 Arrested

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Mumbai: A shocking incident has come to light from Mumbai’s Kurla, where a man was shot and stabbed to death. According to the Mumbai Police, three accused have been arrested in the case.

the incident took place on April 29 at around 10 pm near Pipeline Block No. 3 in Kurla’s V B Nagar. The deceased, identified as Baba Pawar, was shot by one person while two others stabbed him.

After the information was received, Pawar was rushed to Bhabha Hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

A case was registered at V B Nagar police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Arms Act for murder and other offences. Later, it was reported that the police arrested all the three accused involved in the crime. Currently, further investigation is underway to determine the circumstances and motive behind the gruesome killing.

Meanwhile, in another recent incident, a man allegedly stabbed a shopkeeper five to six times after thinking that he and his brother were laughing at him. The incident occurred in Agripada’s Baby Garden area, where two brothers were chatting and laughing over something in their shop.

When the accused arrived at the shop, he thought the two brothers were laughing and mocking him and in a sudden outburst, Mansuri pulled out a knife and attacked one of the brothers multiple times. 

Prior to this, another stabbing incident took place in Mira Road’s Naya Nagar, where a 31-year-old man, Zaib Zubair Ansari, attacked two security guards after being questioned about their religion. The attack took place near Asmita Grand Mansion in Mira Road East, where two security guards were on duty when Ansari approached them, initially asking for directions to a nearby mosque. Later, Ansari questioned one of the guards about his religion before attacking him with a knife. He then entered the security cabin and allegedly asked the second guard to recite the ‘Kalma’.

Ansari was arrested within hours after police reviewed CCTV footage. He was later produced before a Thane district court, which remanded him to police custody until May 4.

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Crime

Thane Woman, 61, Duped Of ₹15.76 Lakh By Fraudsters Posing As Officials; Police Register Case, Launch Probe To Trace Accused

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Thane: A 61-year-old woman from Thane, who had worked as a baby caretaker in Dubai, has allegedly been cheated of Rs 15.76 lakh under the pretext of receiving a parcel containing valuables from abroad, police said on Thursday.

The woman, who lives near Thane railway station in Maharashtra, alleged that two persons contacted her on her Dubai mobile number on April 14 and informed her that her gold ornaments and a high-end phone had arrived at the Mumbai airport from Italy, an official from Naupada police station said.

“They told her that the consignment needed to be cleared before April 22 and threatened that if she failed to do so, she would face legal action and would not be allowed to go back to Dubai,” the official said.

The fraudsters allegedly made multiple calls to the woman from different numbers and shared bank account details via WhatsApp, coercing her into transferring money on several occasions, he said.

“Under pressure and fear of arrest, the woman transferred Rs 15,76,000 into various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters,” the official said.

The woman approached the police on Tuesday, following which a case was registered against two unidentified persons under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Efforts were underway to trace the culprits, the police added.

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Crime

‘No Fear, I Am Not Scared’: Dawood Ibrahim’s Aide Salim Dola’s 1st Reaction After Being Brought To Mumbai Following Istanbul Arrest

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Mumbai: Salim Dola, a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, displayed defiance upon his arrival in Mumbai following his arrest in Turkey, declaring, “No fear. I am not scared,” as he was escorted by officials. His statement came while he was being taken for a medical examination before being produced in court on Thursday.

Dola, considered a key figure in the operations of the infamous D-Company, was brought to the city yesterday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after being granted a two-day transit remand by a Delhi court.

The arrest marks a major breakthrough for Indian agencies, as Dola had been on the run for several years and was allegedly managing international drug trafficking operations from Turkey. He was held on April 25 in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district during a coordinated operation involving Indian intelligence and Turkish law enforcement authorities.

Following his arrest, Dola was deported to India and first produced before the Patiala House Court, which approved his transfer to Mumbai for further investigation. Special Public Prosecutor Manish Gupta appeared for the NCB and sought his custody in connection with a 2023 narcotics case registered in Mumbai.

Upon reaching Mumbai yesterday, Dola was taken to the NCB’s zonal office, where he is currently being interrogated. Officials believe he holds critical information about the functioning of D-Company’s global drug network, including smuggling routes across West Asia and Europe and the use of hawala channels to move illicit funds. Investigators are also looking to uncover details about sleeper cells and local distributors linked to the syndicate in Mumbai and surrounding regions.

Dola will be produced before a Mumbai court following initial procedures. His arrest and the later transfer to Delhi and now Mumbai are being seen as a major step in efforts to dismantle transnational organised crime networks with links to India.

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