BANGALORE: The Karnataka police claimed to have busted an antique smuggling racket in Bangalore on Friday with the arrest of six people and captured 7.5 kilograms of 21 articles made in ancient ivory.
Himmat Singh from Haryana, Praveen Sambiyal from Punjab, Abdul Kayoom and Mohammad Rafeeq from Mysuru, Mohammad Israr alias Babu and Amjad Pasha from Bangalore are the people who have been arrested.
Police said that the suspects were apprehended in Bangalore as they were waiting in a car for customers. They said that the items were carved from old elephant ivory, the value of which could not be determined in terms of money.
The antique items include walking sticks, statues of elephants, knives with ivory handles, door handles with various designs, 20 erotic artworks based on the Kama Sutra, and another amber artwork with a scorpion stamped alive.
The Women Protection Wing of Bengaluru City Central Crime Branch (CCB) is investigating the case. Pratap Reddy, the police commissioner for Bengaluru, has praised the police's efforts in apprehending the gang.
Further investigation is going on.
It is pertinent to note that in a similar incident on September 3, arresting 8 smugglers, High Grounds police had seized 730 kilograms of sandalwood and 170 kilograms of sandalwood oil, together worth Rs 3 crore.
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