Guwahati, Aug 17 (IANS): Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) arrested a mother-son duo suspected of trafficking wildlife animals from Assam and Meghalaya, officials said on Thursday.
The mother, identified as Rindik Teringpi, was arrested in Assam's West Karbi Anglong district, while her son, identified as Bidasingh Senar, was taken into custody in Meghalaya's capital on August 16.
According to the police, 7.60 gram of pangolin scales and other animal body parts were found during the operation.
The search operation was connected to the case of tiger skin and bone recovery that occurred on June 29 in the Azara area close to Guwahati.
The mother-son duo, as per the police, are participating in an Assam-Meghalaya interstate wildlife trafficking ring and were also involved in the smuggling of tiger skin and bones on June 29.
Kalyan Pathak, an additional SP with the STF of the Assam police, reported that four people were detained in Azara on June 29 and that, after an inquiry, it was discovered that they were involved in a nationwide scheme for interstate poaching and the smuggling of animal body parts.
He added that the gang had admitted to poaching the big cat in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli during questioning.
"The tiger skin and bones that were recovered in June were transported from Maharashtra," the officer added.
Pathak claimed that the case was given to the WCCB on August 8 of this year, and the WCCB in Guwahati recorded a case in light of the well-organized network of the smugglers.
The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972's sections 9, 39, 40, 48A, 49B, and 51 were used to register the case. In conjunction with the Assam Police STF, WCCB began an operation throughout the state and its environs, according to Pathak.
He added that STF coordinated with West Karbi Anglong Police and helped WCCB locate and arrest the woman from Gita Langkok locality in Karbi Anglong first. After that, the team travelled to Meghalaya and detained the woman's son in Shillong.
The STF authorities claimed that during their preliminary investigation, they had uncovered evidence suggesting that the illegal trade in wild animal body parts is not just occurring within Indian Territory but also extends outside it.
According to the officials, the investigation points to involvement of some transnational border illegal wildlife contraband trade.
The mother and son who had been detained were taken to Guwahati on Thursday afternoon, and in the evening they appeared before the court. According to the officials, the court in Guwahati sentenced them to three days of WCCB imprisonment.