ATS busts ivory idol smugglers gang, five arrested
The ATS got a tip-off that a gang was involved in the illegal trade of ivory idols in Ajmer division of Rajasthan. A bogus customer got in touch with the gang members and negotiated the price. The gang finalized the deal in a hotel in Ajmer.
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Jaipur: The Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a man, identified as Mahendra Singh Charan, and four others for the alleged smuggling of antique ivory idols. The man, a resident of Nagaur district who was currently living in Beawar town in Ajmer, was planning to sell an antique ivory idol for Rs 1 crore. He allegedly revealed during interrogation that the idol is of a queen from Singapore.
The ATS got a tip-off that a gang was involved in the illegal trade of ivory idols in Ajmer division of Rajasthan. A bogus customer got in touch with the gang members and negotiated the price. The gang finalized the deal in a hotel in Ajmer.
Once the information was verified, the ATS arrested Mahendra Singh Charan and four others, identified as Ajaypal singh alias Shey Singh, Suryakant Sharma, Bhajan Singh and Ramchandra Choudhary. Bhajan Singh belongs to Sikar district. Ajaypal Singh is a resident of Sikar and was currently staying in Beawar. Suryakant Sharma hails from Srimadhopur town in Sikar ditrict and Ramchandra is a resident of Ajmer.
“We recovered an antique idol from their possession. The gang members are being interrogated. It has come up during preliminary investigation that the ivory idol was antique. They were planning to sell it for Rs 1 crore,” said an ATS officer.
The accused smugglers were produced in a court that remanded them in 3-day police custody. Further investigation is going on.
