Mayurbhanj Resident Arrested After Elephant Tusks and Deer Antlers Found at Home

In a twist that blends wildlife crime with white‑collar fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swooped on a modest house in Bishol village, Kaptipada police‑station area, on Wednesday. While they were digging into alleged financial misdeeds worth about Rs 122 crore, officers stumbled upon something far more primitive – a bundle of elephant tusks and a set of deer antlers tucked away in a corner.

The man at the centre of the drama is identified as Ishwar Bindhani, a resident of Bishol. The ED’s search, originally aimed at uncovering money‑laundering trails, instead revealed a stash of wildlife parts that are strictly prohibited under India’s wildlife protection laws.

Word of the discovery quickly reached the state Forest Department. Within hours, forest officials arrived, secured the illegal items and placed Bindhani under arrest. “We have taken possession of the elephant tusks, deer antlers and other parts found during the ED raid,” said Meherbaan Ali, the Assistant Conservator of Forests for Baripada.

Ali added that the seized specimens will be sent to a certified laboratory for forensic analysis, a routine step to determine the exact origin and confirm whether they were poached. The move underscores a growing concern among officials that illegal wildlife trade often hides behind seemingly unrelated criminal investigations.

While the financial fraud case continues to unfold in court, the wildlife angle has sparked a fresh conversation about the nexus between organized crime and poaching networks in Odisha’s dense forests. Authorities say they will tighten monitoring and ensure that anyone caught dealing in protected animal parts faces the full brunt of the law.