The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a first, has issued an order to attach three chimpanzees and four marmosets in a money-laundering case. The investigation is based on two cases registered against Supradip Guha, who ran a wildlife smuggling racket.
The chimpanzees and marmosets, which were in the custody of Guha, were rescued by the customs department in 2014. The ED probe was ordered under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 for seizure of prohibited wildlife.
An official with the ED said that the probe under PMLA revealed that Guha was running an organised wildlife smuggling racket. The value of each chimpanzee has been assessed as Rs 25 lakh and marmosets at Rs 1.5 lakh each, issuing an attachment order for a value of Rs 81 lakh, he added.
The wildlife department in the state had filed a complaint under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 against Guha for illegal possession of prohibited Indian wildlife. Guha was also under the police's scanner for using forged documents, including fake birth certificates for the animals and authorisation letters, to illegally transport wildlife birds.
“Guha also obtained fake certificates regarding birth of the three Chimpanzees in India. Based on facts revealed during investigation, the above wildlife has been provisionally attached,” the ED said. Officials also said that the accused was attempting to take possession of the animals by producing forged documents.
The chimpanzees and marmosets are now with the Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata. The attachment order will enable the zoo authorities to retain the wild animals.
