Man arrested with ivory,sandalwood worth Rs 1.8 lakh

The Forest department arrested a man on Sunday and recovered a stock of ivory and sandalwood from his possession. Acting on a tip-off,a team of foresters raided a house in Palitana town in Bhavnagar district and apprehended one Pravin Hariyani.

According to V A Rathod,Range Forest Officer,Palitana,forest officials raided a house located in Chitrakut Society in Rajawadi area and recovered ivory coins worth Rs 60,000 and 400 kg of sandalwood. The total worth of the seized goods is Rs 1.80 lakh. Hariyani was allegedly involved in transportation and selling of contraband goods. In the past also,he was found involved in illegal selling of sandalwood,Rathod said. He will be produced before the Court of Judicial Magistrate (First class),Palitana town,on Monday. He has been booked under Rule 4(1),4(2),4(3),50 and 50 (1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972,Rathod added.

Ivory and sandalwood are prohibited items,and possession,storage,selling or transport of such items is a serious offence under the Act. Any person found guilty is liable to be punished with three to seven years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000,or both.

The temple town of Palitana is a famous pilgrimage site particularly for Jains. Sandalwood and ivory items have a high demand here.