Bhubaneswar, Feb. 5 -- The Odisha Forest Department on Wednesday evening busted an ivory trafficking racket in Balasore district, seizing two elephant tusks and arresting four persons from Talanagar village under the Soro police station limits.

The operation was led by Balasore Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prafulla Kumar Mallick, with two Forest Department teams carrying out coordinated raids at multiple locations. As part of the operation, forest personnel posed as buyers and struck a deal with the suspects to purchase ivory. Acting as decoy traders, the officers reached the accused's house in Talanagar and caught them red-handed during the transaction.

Forest officials suspect the involvement of more individuals in the illegal trad...