In a classic case of fence eating the crop, a sting operation by a group of city-based animal rights activists along with the Malur police, not only busted a tusk trade racket, but also discovered that the tusks were being stolen from the Forest Department’s strongroom by one of its employees.
Two of the five tusks recovered during the operation that started last Wednesday were stolen by Mehboob Basha, a 32-year-old line watcher of the Kuppam range Forest Department, Andhra Pradesh, two years ago.
In a week-long exercise, volunteers posing as prospective customers contacted Basha through an informer. Basha sent them pictures of the tusks bearing marking numbers of the Forest Department through WhatsApp.
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The volunteers immediately approached Kolar SP Divya Gopinath, who directed the jurisdictional Malur police to take necessary action.