Kolkata: The forest department on Wednesday arrested an individual and seized artefacts made out of animal parts. The huge cache of objects resembled the remnants of an old civilization.
Acting on a tip-off, some forest department officials of the wildlife investigation wing, posed as clients and got in touch with the accused, identified as Amitabha Paul (46) of Baguiati.After being confirmed about his alleged involvement in wildlife crimes, they picked him up and interrogated him at the forest department headquarters.
They conducted a raid at his residence with the help of police and retrieved some ivory artefacts, including images of Shiva and Parvati, Krishna, a garland of ivory beads, cigarette handle, a fragrance pot (atardani), a vermilion pot (sindoordani), numerous antique coins and terracotta pots.
Some of the artefacts appear to be belonging to the ancient sites of Chandraketugarh or Gaur. However, their origin needs to be validated by experts from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).