GUWAHATI, August 4: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Guwahati in a joint operation with Lumding Forest Range seized 5.800 kg of dry Chinese pangolin scales in the Lumding market area on Tuesday, an official statement here said.
Based on a specific input, the team launched an operation and seized the pangolin scales from the possession of a person identified as Shasankha Malakar of Maibong Bazar in Dima Hasao district.
Malakar, who was apprehended, had brought the contraband from the Lanka area for delivering it to a person at Maibong.
Sources say that a major racket is engaged in smuggling of wildlife contraband in the Maibong area .
Chinese pangolin is enlisted in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and declared “Vulnerable to Critically Endangered” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
A case has been registered at the Forest Range Office in Lumding and further investigation is underway.
It may be mentioned that only last month, WCCB, Guwahati, Assam Police and forest department launched a joint operation and seized dry pangolin scales weighing 12.33 kg, 13 Tokay geckos, and two dry Tokay geckos from the possession of two persons at Bokajan market in Karbi Anglong.