Gujarat/Bangladesh: Anant Ambani’s Vantara has been accused of smuggling two ring-tailed lemurs from a safari park in Bangladesh for around Rs 4.8 million.
Lemurs are an endangered species which are not found in India. According to Ajker Partrika, the theft came to notice after photographs of the two lemurs at Banatara were posted on social media.
Anant Ambani’s Vantara, a wildlife conservation facility, is spread across a 3,500-acre conservation centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the facility in March 2025.
From Bangladesh to Gujarat – How the lemurs were stolen
According to investigators, three lemurs were stolen from Gazipur Safari Park in the early hours of March 23, 2025.
Their photographs and videos were recorded and shared with prospective buyers in India.
Kolkata-based Bablu and Mumbai-based Shiplu travelled to Bangladesh in May 2025 to facilitate the transaction. Delwar and Tapan allegedly coordinated contacts and arrangements on the Bangladeshi side. A deal was struck for one adult and one juvenile lemur for 1.7 million Bangladeshi Taka (approximately Rs 13 lakh), while another juvenile was valued at 300,000 Bangladeshi Taka (Rs 2.32 lakh).
The animals were subsequently smuggled into India through the Darshana border in Chuadanga. They were eventually sold for around Rs 4.8 million to an institution associated with the Vantara.
Bangladeshi investigators became aware of the animals’ whereabouts after photographs of the two lemurs at Banatara surfaced on social media. They subsequently identified similarities between the animals in the photographs and those stolen from Gazipur Safari Park.
No microchip making investigation difficult
The absence of individual identification records has made it difficult to scientifically establish that the two lemurs at the Gujarat facility are the same animals stolen from Gazipur.
The lemurs had been at Gazipur Safari Park for more than five years, but the park had not microchipped them or maintained individual identification numbers or DNA profiles.
Authorities are now attempting to obtain a DNA profile of the juvenile lemur that remains in Bangladesh to determine whether it is genetically related to the two animals traced to India.
“The animals came to the attention of an international network while at the safari park. At one stage, the lemurs were stolen with the assistance of a security guard and smuggled across the border. Those involved have been brought under the law. Most of the accused have given confessional statements,” said Investigating Officer Sunil Das.
The CID has named eight people as accused in the case. Six have recorded confessional statements under Section 164 before a court, while statements from two others, Delwar and Jahir Mia, could not be recorded after they went into hiding following their release on bail.
Critically endangered species
Ring-tailed lemurs are native to Madagascar and are recognisable by their distinctive black-and-white ringed tails. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as critically endangered.
The species is also listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which generally prohibits international commercial trade except under limited circumstances.
