Odisha STF detains three in Bengal’s Digha over recovery of 5 orangutans

Odisha Crime Branch’s Special Task Force (STF) has detained three persons from a hotel in West Bengal’s Digha in connection with the recovery of five orangutans in Balasore district and registered a case, officials said on Friday.

Five orangutans, a critically endangered species native to the Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests, were found in a forested area in Ranakotha Badapahi in coastal Odisha’s Balasore. Orangutans are smuggled for high-end exotic pet trade, tourism entertainment, and private animal collections. An orangutan could fetch around ₹25 lakh.

Surveillance footage from more than 50 cameras along the Digha-Chandaneswar-Bhograi route showed suspicious movement of a black SUV near the suspected drop zone on Monday night. The STF team subsequently tracked the three persons to the Digha hotel and detained them for questioning. A black Thar vehicle seen in CCTV footage, however, belongs to the hotel owner, officials said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Vinaytosh Mishra had directed the STF to conduct a detailed investigation into how the rare animals were brought to the state and identify those involved in their transportation.

“The STF has detained three people on suspicion and they are being questioned. At present, we cannot say anything conclusively. Once we obtain complete evidence-based information, it will be shared with the media,” Mishra said.

The STF’s wildlife wing has begun investigating the route through which the orangutans were brought to Odisha, the people involved and the purpose for which they were transported.

The DGP said the investigation was being conducted on the request of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), adding that visible progress was expected within seven to eight days.

“We are investigating the route through which the orangutans were brought, who brought them and what the purpose was,” Mishra said.

Meanwhile, chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said the animals, which had initially appeared depressed after being separated from their mother, were now in good health.

“They are eating and playing and are expected to gradually adapt to their surroundings,” Jha said.