55 CCTV Cameras Checked, Black SUV Key To Odisha Orangutan Probe

Bhubaneswar, Sep 10 (PTI) Odisha Police's STF and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) on Thursday intensified their probe into the mystery surrounding the rescue of five baby orangutans from a forest in Balasore district and launched a search for a black SUV reportedly seen in the area.

Investigators suspect an international wildlife trafficking network could be behind the presence of the animals in the state, officials said.

The forest department rescued the orangutans from Bichitrapur forest under Bhograi block on Tuesday morning.

Investigators are now focusing on a black SUV reportedly seen near Badapahi village in the area on Monday night.

The STF has so far examined footage from 55 CCTV cameras installed in Bhograi and nearby Digha in West Bengal.

"We have verified the vehicles' movement on Monday night in both places, but so far there has been no breakthrough," a senior police officer said, adding that the SUV could provide a major clue.

Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said villagers had reported seeing a black SUV in the area where the orangutans were rescued.

"The CCTV footage also confirmed that such an SUV had passed the area around 11.25 pm on Monday. But the footage could only capture the upper portion of the vehicle and not its registration number. Therefore, it is important to locate the mysterious SUV," he told reporters.

The forest department has restricted public entry to Bichitrapur forest as investigators suspect that evidence could otherwise be disturbed or destroyed, sources said.

Police have also recovered face masks from a black polythene bag in the area and suspect they may have been used by those who released the orangutans in the forest.

Local residents have denied any connection with the masks, a police official said.

Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) Prakash Chandra Gogineni, who is also director of the Similipal Tiger Reserve, said circumstantial evidence indicated that the animals could have been brought into Balasore from West Bengal through the Digha-Chandaneswar and Bhograi route.

"The circumstantial evidence strongly indicates that the orangutans were brought to Balasore district from West Bengal side using the Digha-Chandaneswar and Bhograi route, which passes through rural areas. The wildlife traffickers deliberately avoided national highways and instead used interior village roads to transport the animals," he said.

Based on the forest department's assessment, STF personnel examined CCTV footage from rural roads, including cameras installed at the Kalaghat toll plaza in West Bengal, an official said.

Gogineni said the presence of the animals pointed to a possible international trafficking link, as orangutans are not native to India and cannot be legally bred or kept locally.

He said the animals could have been trafficked from Myanmar through the Northeast into eastern India, taking advantage of the region's geography.

Two WCCB teams, from Bhopal and Kolkata, have joined the investigation, officials said.

"If the orangutans were brought from Indonesia, there will definitely be international operatives. The international traffickers must also have agents in local areas, either in West Bengal or Odisha. We have to find them," Gogineni said.

The STF has also visited a Marine Police Station to explore the possibility that the animals could have been transported through waterways.

"The involvement of international traffickers is suspected because orangutans are not native to India and they fetch around Rs 20-25 lakh each in the international market. There is also a possibility that the animals were transported through waterways, either in ships or fishing trawlers," an official said.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed forest and police authorities to crack the alleged trafficking network and ensure Odisha is not used as a transit route for wildlife trafficking.

Singhkhuntia said the state government, in coordination with the Centre, would take stringent action against those involved.

Bhograi MLA and BJD leader Goutam Buddha Das demanded that the state government seek Interpol's assistance, saying the case could have international ramifications.