4 nabbed for possessing rare white rhino horns

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested four persons for possessing and attempting to trade horns of the rare African white rhinoceros, valued at Rs 3 crore in the international market. The horns, classified as highly endangered under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, cannot legally be captured, killed, or traded.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sanjay Kumar Sain, explained that the arrests followed a tip-off about illegal wildlife trade. “To uncover the nexus, a cop was sent as a decoy customer,” Sain said. On January 9, the undercover officer finalised a deal for ?1 crore and, subsequently, a raid was conducted on a flat in Lajpat Nagar. During the operation, four individuals were found in possession of two rhinoceros horns. “When asked to produce documents for legal possession, they failed to do so,” Sain added.Wildlife officials inspected the seized horns and confirmed they appeared to belong to rhinoceroses.

The horns were taken into police custody, and four persons were arrested.

The investigation revealed that one of the suspects, Deepak Sharma, had inherited the horns from his grandfather. Believing them to be rare antiques, Sharma had preserved them for decades. However, financial difficulties exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including debts amounting to ?35-40 lakh, prompted him to sell the horns.

“Sharma knew the horns were worth over ?3 crore, and due to his poor financial condition, he decided to sell them,” officials said. He took the help of Suresh Kumar, a ‘mahant’ in Uttam Nagar, to facilitate the sale. Kumar contacted Sant Ram, who then approached Anil Kumar Sethi to broker the deal for ?1 crore.

Unknown to the suspects, their activities came to the attention of the Crime Branch, leading to their apprehension. An FIR under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act has been registered, and the case is under further investigation.