Prateek Tanmay
2 min readBengaluruMay 28, 2026 07:17 PM IST
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted an ivory trafficking network in Mysuru and arrested four people, including a retired police inspector from Andhra Pradesh, after seizing three elephant tusks during a raid, said officials Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Jamuna Rani Kakabul, a retired police inspector from Andhra Pradesh and a resident of Mysuru; Syed Fayaz from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh; Munir Pasha from Kollegala; and Ajjar Khan.
According to officials, the DRI conducted a raid at Jamuna Rani Kakabul’s residence, where she and her husband Venkatesh Kakabul were present. During the operation, officials recovered three elephant tusks of varying sizes, which sources said were nearly 10 years old.
Investigators suspect the accused were part of an organised ivory trafficking network operating across states. Sources in the investigation said Munir Pasha was allegedly the key operative involved in procuring and handling the ivory, while Fayaz allegedly acted as the middleman coordinating deals.
The transactions and meetings allegedly took place at the retired officer’s residence in Mysuru, sources added.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused were in touch with illegal wildlife traders. We are trying to trace the origin of the tusks and establish the larger network behind the trafficking,” an official associated with the probe said.
Sources further claimed that the retired officer had allegedly been linked to similar smuggling activities in the past, though officials said these aspects are still under investigation.
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The seized ivory has been sent for examination, and further investigation is underway to identify others connected to the racket.
