Odisha STF detains three over abandoned orangutans in Balasore

The Special Task Force of Odisha Police has detained three people at a hotel in Digha, West Bengal, in connection with the discovery of five young orangutans in Balasore district, and has registered a formal case in the matter.

The detentions followed a review of CCTV footage that showed a black SUV moving close to the location where the animals were left abandoned on September 7, according to the police. The three were taken into custody on suspicion and are being questioned.

Director General of Police Vinaytosh Mishra confirmed the detentions and said the investigation was making visible progress, with results expected within seven to eight days. Police declined to disclose further details, citing the risk to the probe.

The operation was carried out in coordination with West Bengal Police. As part of the inquiry, the STF team has spoken to villagers and field-level forest staff about the unexplained appearance of the orangutans in the district.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had on Thursday directed officials to establish the circumstances under which the animals reached Balasore.

Separately, Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wildlife Society of Orissa, said the infant orangutans should be sent back to their original habitat. He said Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry wrote to India's CITES Management Authority on September 10, offering assistance with repatriation and seeking the speedy return of the five apes once DNA tests establish their origin.

Mohanty said preliminary investigations and physical assessments indicated the critically endangered primates were victims of international wildlife trafficking, brought illegally into India to supply an expanding underground trade in exotic pets. He urged the Director General of Forests to ensure the young apes are repatriated to their range state, Indonesia or Malaysia, at the earliest.