Four men were arrested by police in Chembur, Mumbai for allegedly attempting to sell elephant tusks worth Rs 35 crore at a hotel. Chembur Police acted on a tip-off and laid a trap of Loadging and Boarding hotel on AC Road on Tuesday, April 22. The team raided Room No. 304 and caught the accused with two tusks weighing about 11 kg and 20.6 kg, according to the police.
The arrested accused are identified as Akash Ahir (28), Sandeep Bidlani (33), Shashank Jangam (38), and Dinesh Nivanshi (40). The police said they arrested the accused red-handed as they were negotiating the tusks deal at the time of the raid.
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The Maharashtra Forest Department confirmed the items were genuine. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.