Siliguri, 21st January: Based on a tip-off, the forest department launched operations at Matigara under the leadership of Salugara ranger Sanjay Dutta and recovered pangolin scales, late Wednesday night. 26-year-old Murshid Alam has been arrested in the incident. He is a resident of Alipurduar.
Around 1 am, the forest workers sighted some men standing in front of Matigara’s Balasan river bridge. Although they managed to escape the scene, the forest workers successfully got hold of one of them.
A rare species of pangolin scale weighing around 4 kg 140 grams was recovered from his possession. Besides, two motorcycles were also confiscated.
According to the forest department, the pangolin scale was being smuggled to Nepal via Naxalbari. The lot was brought from Bhutan. Several smugglers have also been identified. The forest department has started an investigation into the whole incident.