MAHASAMUND: Police have arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly trying to sell artworks made of ivory worth Rs 5.12 lakh in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district, an official said on Monday. The trade of elephant ivory is prohibited in the country.
Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed the accused, identified as Sonu Mittal, a native of Odisha, here on Sunday, Mahasamund's Additional Superintendent of Police Megha Tembhurkar said.
He was allegedly looking for customers to sell the ivory artworks near a temple under the City Kotwali police station limits, she said.
The accused told the police that he brought the expensive items from Patnagarh town in Odisha's Balangir district, the official said.
The police seized seven ivory artworks worth Rs 5.12 lakh from his possession, she said, adding that a case was registered against him under the Wildlife Protection Act.
