Four held for possessing ivory articles worth Rs 1 crore in Mumbai

Four persons were arrested for allegedly possessing ivory articles worth Rs 1 crore in the international market, police said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off that 100-year-old ivory-made artifacts were being brought to the megapolis and the accused were looking for a buyer, sleuths of crime branch launched a manhunt, a police officer said. Police tracked the four accused at a hotel in Grant Road in south Mumbai on Wednesday and approached them as customers, he said.

After the deal was finalised, the officials nabbed them. The accused were identified as - Hitesh Joshi, a share broker, Rajesh Dave, a travel agent, Pravin Soni, a jeweller, and one Dharam Gupta, police said.

A case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 has been registered in this regard at the D B Marg police station, they said, adding investigations are underway.