Wildlife trafficking investigations in South Asia

In India’s Gajapati district, forest officials conducted a two-day crackdown on suspected wildlife trafficking. Led by Assistant Conservator of Forests Shine Sree Das, a special enforcement team carried out two separate raids. The first operation near the Parlakhemundi bus stand resulted in the arrest of G Rabi and Prafula Ghanta, alongside the seizure of two leopard skins, a motorcycle, and two mobile phones. A second operation in the Paniganda section of the Mohana forest range led to the arrest of four additional suspects: Joga Mallick, Bijayananda Naik, Deepak Kumar Naik, and Trilochan Patra. An offence report has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Subsequent enforcement actions in the Gajapati Forest Division resulted in the arrest of six people and the seizure of three leopard skins as part of ongoing efforts to target wildlife trafficking.

Separately, investigations are ongoing in Bangladesh regarding the potential trafficking of three endangered ring-tailed lemurs stolen from Gazipur Safari Park. Social media reports suggested two animals may have been moved to the Vantara conservation facility in India. While Vantara has denied these allegations and offered to cooperate via DNA profiling, Bangladeshi officials noted that the absence of formal repatriation protocols and prior DNA records makes cross-border recovery difficult.