CBI-DRI Joint Action Busts Wildlife Trafficking Racket

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, in a joint operation supported by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), rescued 53 protected animals and birds—including 15 Slow Loris, 2 Binturong, 28 Star Tortoises, 6 Egyptian Vultures and 2 Shikra—from Maharashtra and West Bengal. Six accused were arrested (three in Mumbai, three in Kolkata) after intelligence identified an interstate wildlife‑trafficking syndicate. Two cases were registered on 7‑8 July 2026 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Criminal Conspiracy provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The rescued wildlife was handed over to the respective state forest departments for safe custody.