Rajasthan man held for selling banned wildlife products online

Jaipur: A man was arrested here for allegedly selling prohibited wildlife products online in a joint operation by the Delhi Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Jhunjhunu Forest Department, officials said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Sahil Gaur alias Sahil Sharma, is a resident of Mandrela in Jhunjhunu district and was under surveillance for the last six months, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Harendra Singh said.

He allegedly operated social media accounts on Instagram under the guise of a Vastu and energy guru, promoting his products as charms for business success and prosperity.

Investigators said he sold "tantra packages" (occult practices) priced between Rs 50,000 and Rs 3 lakh, and catered to clients across Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

He was arrested at Jhunjhunu Railway Station while delivering illegal wildlife items to a decoy customer. Authorities recovered banned materials worth around Rs 20 lakh from his possession, including owl claws, wild boar teeth, and musk pods.

The accused was allegedly working in collaboration with a Maharashtra-based wildlife trafficker, officials said.