- Retired woman Police officer from Andhra Pradesh among four arrested
- Nagpur Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths raid Ramakrishnanagar house
Mysore/Mysuru: In a meticulously planned operation against wildlife smuggling, officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Nagpur, Maharashtra, raided a suspected ivory smuggling network in Mysuru and seized three elephant tusks valued at over Rs. 2 crore in the international black market. Four people have been arrested.
The operation led to the recovery of three large curved ivory tusks of varying sizes. Though the exact weight has not yet been officially disclosed, sources said such tusks generally weigh between 5 kg and 30 kg each. Elephant tusks are classified as ‘Schedule I Wildlife Articles’ under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The accused has been identified as Jamuna Rani Kakabul, a retired Police Department officer from Andhra Pradesh, who is now residing at I-Block on Swami Vivekananda Road in Ramakrishnanagar, Mysuru. She has been named as Accused No. 3 in the FIR.
The other accused in the case are Syed Fyaz (Accused No. 1) from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, Muneer Pasha (Accused No. 2) from Kollegal and Ajghar Khan (Accused No. 4), also from Kollegal.
Both Jamuna Rani Kakabul and her husband Venkatesh Kakabul were present at the house during the raid.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Jamuna Rani Kakabul had contacts linked to the illegal ivory trade. Officials said, her husband Venkatesh Kakabul is not believed to have played any role in the racket and had no knowledge of his wife’s illegal activities. Further investigation is underway.
Late-night operation
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a four-member DRI team launched a covert operation after learning that a local network was attempting to sell illegal ivory to buyers in Bengaluru and through online channels.
The officials tracked the operation to the couple’s residence in Ramakrishnanagar. To trap the suspects, DRI officers reportedly posed as prospective buyers before confirming the presence of the contraband.
Following verification, the team conducted a late-night raid and seized three pieces of elephant tusks from the house. After the operation, the DRI officials handed over the seized ivory and the accused to the Mysuru Territorial Forest Division for further investigation and legal action.
The case is being investigated under the supervision of Deputy Conservator of Forests (Territorial) K. Paramesh and Assistant Conservator of Forests (in-charge) Vineetha, in coordination with the DRI team.
Origin and age of tusks
As per Forest Department procedure, the accused have been subjected to mandatory medical examination. Forest officials are also documenting the weight, measurements and structural details of the seized tusks to strengthen the case under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Meanwhile, the Forest Department and Central intelligence agencies have launched a deeper investigation to determine the origin and age of the tusks, how the accused procured them and the identities of suspected buyers in Bengaluru, besides probing the wider smuggling network allegedly involved in the racket.
Sources stated DRI officials are interrogating the arrested suspects and tracing the entire supply chain, including poaching sources and international connections. Under the amended Wildlife Protection Act, effective from April 1, 2023, DRI officers have been granted enhanced powers to clamp down on the domestic illegal wildlife trade.
This post was published on May 27, 2026 6:00 pm