Four Malappuram natives who were arrested with eight kilograms of ivory were remanded in judicial custody on Monday. Jaffar Sadique, Mohammed Basil, Abdul Rasheed and Shukkoor were nabbed when they reportedly went to meet buyers near the Kozhikode KSRTC bus stand on Sunday night.
The four were tracked following a tip-off received by the Forest Intelligence wing. A flying squad of the department was part of the operation to nab the carriers who were reportedly part of a gang engaged in smuggling forest resources.
According to Forest department sources, the seized ivory had a total market value of ₹1.60 crore. There were reportedly eight pieces with the carriers. A probe is under way to trace the source of smuggled ivory, they said.
