Search for black SUV intensifies in Balasore baby orangutan trafficking probe

Odisha Police’s Special Task Force (STF) and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) have stepped up their investigation into the suspected trafficking of five baby orangutans rescued from a forest in Balasore district, with the search now centred on a black SUV spotted in the area.

The forest department found the orangutans in Bichitrapur forest under Bhograi block on the morning of 8 September. As the animals are not native to India, investigators believe an international wildlife trafficking network may have brought them into the state.

The STF is trying to trace a black SUV reportedly seen near Badapahi village on the night of 7 September. Investigators have examined footage from 55 CCTV cameras across Bhograi and neighbouring Digha in West Bengal but have yet to make a breakthrough.

A senior police officer said the movement of vehicles in both locations had been checked and that locating the SUV could provide a crucial lead.

Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said villagers had reported seeing a black SUV near the site where the animals were found. CCTV footage showed such a vehicle passing through the area at around 11.25 pm, but only its upper portion was visible, and its registration number could not be identified, he said.

Public access to Bichitrapur forest has been restricted amid concerns that potential evidence could be disturbed or destroyed.

Police have also recovered face masks from a black polythene bag found in the area. Investigators suspect the masks may have been used by those who abandoned the orangutans, while local residents have denied any connection with the items.

Regional Chief Conservator of Forests Prakash Chandra Gogineni said circumstantial evidence suggested the animals were transported from West Bengal into Balasore through the Digha-Chandaneswar-Bhograi route.

“The wildlife traffickers deliberately avoided national highways and instead used interior village roads to transport the animals,” said Gogineni, who is also the director of the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

Acting on the forest department’s assessment, STF teams have reviewed footage from cameras along rural roads, including those installed at a toll plaza in West Bengal.

Investigators are examining the possibility that the animals were trafficked from Myanmar through India’s north-eastern states before reaching the eastern region. Two WCCB teams from Bhopal and Kolkata have joined the inquiry.

Gogineni said any trafficking route originating in Indonesia would likely involve international operators and their local agents in either West Bengal or Odisha.

Officials are also investigating whether the orangutans were brought through waterways. The STF has visited a marine police station to examine the possibility that ships or fishing trawlers were used to transport the animals.

An official said the orangutans could fetch between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh each on the international market, strengthening suspicions of an organised cross-border trafficking operation.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed the forest and police departments to dismantle the suspected network and prevent the state from being used as a wildlife trafficking corridor.

Khuntia said the state government would coordinate with the Centre to take stringent action against those responsible. Bhograi MLA and Biju Janata Dal leader Goutam Buddha Das has called on the government to seek Interpol’s assistance, citing the case’s possible international ramifications.

With IANS inputs