Udala: Forest department officials busted a pangolin scale smuggling racket and arrested six persons in connection with this from two villages under Udala Forest department range in Mayurbhanj district Monday.
The department officials were tipped off by a special squad about a deal and on late Sunday night they conducted raids at Balichatra village, sources said. Dressed in plain clothes, the forest officials went to the village as buyers of the contraband. There they finalised the deal with the smugglers to enquire about the price of the pangolin scales in the black market. Sources said that the scales are estimated to be sold in lakhs.
The arrested have been identified as Nishikant Jena, 43, Sudama Khandeai, 45, and Sukul Tudu, 33.
In the same manner, another three smugglers identified as Guru Charan Bindhani, 32, Rabi Patra, 20, and Prasant Kumar Mishra, 32, were arrested from Bundagadi village.
Besides, police have also seized scales of three pangolins and two bikes from the smugglers.
Notably, in a similar case the crime branch team of Odisha arrested four smugglers from Udala forest range in 2018. The accused were from Udala only.
The tribal-dominated Kaptipada sub-division under Udala forest range, being near to Simlipal National Park, has become a depot and haven for the mafia.
Traditional Chinese medicines to cure arthritis are made out of Pangolin scales as a result the contraband has a huge demand in China.
PNN