CBI Wildlife Crackdown: Rohini Resident Arrested as Elephant Tusks Recovered in Delhi Raid

New Delhi: In a swift operation based on secret source information, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recovered two elephant tusks from the residence of Rohit Kharbanda in Rohini Sector-11, Delhi, leading to his immediate arrest on charges of illegal possession and trade of prohibited wildlife articles.

The case was registered as FIR No. RC2202026E0001 at CBI’s Economic Offences-II (EO-II) unit on March 14, 2026, under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 read with Sections 40, 49 and 49-B of the same Act, along with Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

According to the Special Report filed by DSP Naveen Joon of CBI EO-II, a secret source information (SIR) was received indicating that Rohit Kharbanda, son of late Pramod Kharbanda and resident of G-8/35, 2nd Floor, Rohini Sector-11, Delhi-110085, was in illegal possession of wildlife articles and was attempting to sell them.

A CBI team led by DSP Naveen Joon, comprising seven officers and officials, conducted the operation in the early hours of March 13-14, 2026. The raid was carried out in the presence of independent witnesses — Sub Divisional Engineer Ravindra Kumar Gupta of BSNL and Sukul Kumar, a Canara Bank officer from Rohini Sector-15 — along with Inspector Arnab Basu of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Northern Region.

During the search, two elephant tusks were recovered from a red-coloured plastic sack placed inside a blue and grey backpack bag kept in the boot space of a black Tata Safari car (registration CH-01CL8761). The vehicle is registered in the name of the accused’s late father, Lt. Pramod Kharbanda, and is regularly used by Rohit Kharbanda. The car was parked in the ground-floor parking area of Kharbanda’s residence at the time of the recovery.

Inspector Arnab Basu of WCCB examined the seized items on the spot and confirmed that they were elephant tusks derived from the Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus), a species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making their possession, trade and transportation a serious cognizable offence.

Rohit Kharbanda was arrested on the spot after completing all legal formalities. The CBI has also named “unknown others” as co-accused, indicating that further investigation is underway to uncover the full network involved in acquiring and attempting to sell the prohibited wildlife products.

The FIR states there was no delay in reporting the matter. The Special Report, dated March 14, 2026, was submitted by DSP Naveen Joon to the Superintendent of Police, CBI EO-II, requesting registration of a regular case. Investigation has been entrusted to Inspector Satish Kumar Deshwal (Badge No. 196444) of EO-II Delhi.

This case highlights the continued threat of wildlife trafficking in the national capital despite stringent laws. Possession of Schedule I species parts attracts severe punishment, including imprisonment of up to seven years and heavy fines under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The CBI has attached the recovery-cum-seizure memo and other documents with the FIR. The seized tusks have been taken into custody as case property.