Odisha orangutan rescue: 55 CCTV cameras checked, black SUV key to probe

Odisha Polices STF and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau WCCB intensified their probe into the mystery surrounding the rescue of five baby orangutans from a forest in Balasore district and launched a search for a black SUV reportedly seen in the areaInvestigators suspect an international wildlife trafficking network could be behind the presence of the animals in the state officials saidThe forest department rescued the orangutans from Bichitrapur forest under Bhograi block in the morning of September 8Investigators are now focusing on a black SUV reportedly seen near Badapahi village in the area on the night of September 7The STF has so far examined footage from 55 CCTV cameras installed in Bhograi and nearby Digha in West BengalWe have verified the vehicles movement on Monday September 7 night in both places but so far there has been no breakthrough a senior police officer said adding that the SUV could provide a major clueForest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said villagers had reported seeing a black SUV in the area where the orangutans were rescuedThe CCTV footage also confirmed that such an SUV had passed the area around 1125 pm on Monday But the footage could only capture the upper portion of the vehicle and not its registration number Therefore it is important to locate the mysterious SUV he told reportersThe forest department has restricted public entry to Bichitrapur forest as investigators suspect that evidence could otherwise be disturbed or destroyed sources saidPolice have also recovered face masks from a black polythene bag in the area and suspect they may have been used by those who released the orangutans in the forestLocal residents have denied any connection with the masks a police official saidRegional Chief Conservator of Forests RCCF Prakash Chandra Gogineni who is also director of the Similipal Tiger Reserve said circumstantial evidence indicated that the animals could have been brought into Balasore from West Bengal through the DighaChandaneswar and Bhograi routeThe circumstantial evidence strongly indicates that the orangutans were brought to Balasore district from West Bengal using the DighaChandaneswarBhograi route which passes through rural areas The wildlife traffickers deliberately avoided national highways and instead used interior village roads to transport the animals he saidBased on the forest departments assessment STF personnel examined CCTV footage from rural roads including cameras installed at a toll plaza in West Bengal an official saidGogineni said the presence of the animals pointed to a possible international trafficking link as orangutans are not native to India and cannot be legally bred or kept locallyHe said the animals could have been trafficked from Myanmar through the Northeast into eastern India taking advantage of the regions geographyTwo WCCB teams from Bhopal and Kolkata have joined the investigation officials saidIf the orangutans were brought from Indonesia there will definitely be international operatives The international traffickers must also have agents in local areas either in West Bengal or Odisha We have to find them Gogineni saidThe STF has also visited a Marine police station to explore the possibility that the animals could have been transported through waterwaysThe involvement of international traffickers is suspected because orangutans are not native to India and they fetch around Rs 2025 lakh each in the international market There is also a possibility that the animals were transported through waterways either in ships or fishing trawlers an official saidChief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed forest and police authorities to crack the alleged trafficking network and ensure Odisha is not used as a transit route for wildlife traffickingSinghkhuntia said the state government in coordination with the Centre would take stringent action against those involvedBhograi MLA and BJD leader Goutam Buddha Das demanded that the state government seek Interpols assistance saying the case could have international ramificationsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever