Two arrested in Goa for smuggling hippo teeth, tusks to Karnataka

Panaji: In a joint operation by the Goa and Karnataka authorities, two persons were arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with smuggling of hippopotamus teeth and passing them off as elephant tusks.

The two persons Vishnu Harmalkar (24) and Anil Parsekar (30) both from Goa, were arrested on Thursday, Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Shobhit Saxena told reporters here. "Vishnu had procured the contraband and had paid Anil money to transport it across the border in Karnataka," the official said.

The duo were on the radar of the Goa and Karnataka Forest Departments for the alleged smuggling of hippopotamus teeth and tusks, a racket which had been busted in Karnataka's Shivamogga district on August 25.

Nine hippo teeth had been seized in the raid by the Karnataka Forest Department, which had also resulted in the arrest of three other persons, who were passing them off to buyers as elephant tusks.