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Crime
Elephant smuggled from Nepal linked to NGO under leopard poaching investigation
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 28 Sep 2026, 08:01 AM
👁 11
Authorities have uncovered an operation that moved an elephant from Nepal into India, with investigators tracing the trail to a non‑governmental organization that is also under scrutiny in a separate leopard poaching case.
The wildlife crime unit of the forest department reported that an adult elephant was illegally transported from Nepal across the India‑Nepal border earlier this month. The animal was intercepted near a checkpoint in Bihar after a tip‑off led officials to a concealed transport vehicle.
Further forensic analysis of the transport logs and GPS data pointed to a non‑governmental organization that had previously been named in a high‑profile leopard poaching investigation. Investigators say the same network may be facilitating the movement of protected wildlife for black‑market sales.
Senior officials from the Central Investigation Agency have opened a joint probe, emphasizing that the case underscores organized wildlife trafficking that spans borders. The agency has seized the elephant, placed it under the care of a rehabilitation centre, and is pursuing legal action against the individuals and the NGO involved.
Further forensic analysis of the transport logs and GPS data pointed to a non‑governmental organization that had previously been named in a high‑profile leopard poaching investigation. Investigators say the same network may be facilitating the movement of protected wildlife for black‑market sales.
Senior officials from the Central Investigation Agency have opened a joint probe, emphasizing that the case underscores organized wildlife trafficking that spans borders. The agency has seized the elephant, placed it under the care of a rehabilitation centre, and is pursuing legal action against the individuals and the NGO involved.