(IN) Kolkata zoo marmoset theft: Kingpin name out

[Guest guest]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/kolkata-/Monkey-theft-Kingpin-name-\

out/articleshow/4984177.cms

 

Monkey theft: Kingpin name out

TNN 8 September 2009, 04:13am IST

 

Breaking News:

 

KOLKATA : The probe into the theft of eight common marmosets has unearthed a

country-wide network linked to international animal trafficking gangs.

The name of one man is doing the rounds: Vivian Solesman, the Pune-based kingpin

who has managed to evade the police net till now.

 

Sleuths have confirmed that Solesman has masterminded the theft of at least 50

rare and exotic birds and marmosets from four zoos and the homes of private

collectors over the past three years.

 

Solesman, a licensed animal trader in Pune, is the key supplier of stolen birds

and animals in India and the rest of the subcontinent. But he had always

remained above suspicion till now. An Anglo-Indian from central Kolkata,

Solesman shifted to Pune around three decades back. He has a home in Windsor

apartment, a swanky residence in the posh Oxford Village area of Pune.

 

He used to deal in exotic birds but recently received a lucrative order to

supply marmosets, which made him interested in the animals. He had given Rajesh

alias Sher Singh the job of stealing the marmosets from Kolkata.

 

Singh, who was brought to Kolkata on Sunday evening after his arrest, admitted

to police that he had been paid an advance of Rs 2 lakh for the marmosets. With

Raj Saikia, who has also been arrested, Singh tried to steal the marmosets in

March, but was thwarted by the zoo guards.

 

Saikia managed to steal the monkeys on August 8 and took them straight to his

Raipur residence in Chhattisgarh by train. Sujay Das alias Bubai, who was

rounded up by city police earlier in the marmoset theft case, was also with

Saikia.

 

Saikia told police that Solesman asked him to hold the consignment of monkeys

for a few days as police were keeping a watch on traders dealing in birds and

animals. " Solesman is the man who will be able to provide a lot of detail about

the market of illegal trade in animals and birds, " said Jawed Shamim. For the

past three days, police raided several places in Pune and some others cities for

Solesman and his aides.

 

Saikia was introduced to Singh by Prateek Shastrey another wildlife dealer in

Pune soon after his release from Khandala jail. In 2007, Singh recruited both

Saikia and Bubai for the racket working for Solesman.

 

Earlier, the same gang had stolen a pair of marmosets from the house of Aditya

Mandel, a private collector in Pune, along with some rare birds. Bubai had

received the consignment and delivered it to Prateek Shastrey for Rs 50,000.

Shatrey, believed to be part of the chain of another Bangalore-based trader, and

another duo work as collecting agents. The probe revealed that Shastrey has left

Pune and now lives in Goa.

 

 

--

Thank you for your compassion !

With best regards,

Debasis Chakrabarti

Compassionate Crusaders Trust

http://www.animalcrusaders.org