Wildlife Mystery Turns Into Major Probe : Owner-Son Duo Under STF Scanner

Bhubaneswar, Odisha : Five exotic orangutans suddenly appear deep inside a forest in Odisha. A mysterious black Thar is allegedly spotted entering the area late at night. CCTV cameras begin tracing its movements across Odisha and West Bengal. And then, investigators reportedly reach a hotel in Digha which is now sealed.

What initially appeared to be a bizarre wildlife mystery has now taken a far more serious turn, with the Special Task Force (STF) reportedly investigating whether the five orangutans found in Balasore were transported as part of a larger illegal wildlife operation.

The investigation has reportedly led officers to Grand Heritage Hotel in Digha, where the premises have been sealed and the owner Jayanta Maiti and his son are reportedly being searched for after allegedly going missing. The case began on September 8, when locals spotted five orangutan-like animals inside the Bichitrapur forest area of Balasore, triggering an immediate alert to the Forest Department. Their presence was extraordinary because orangutans are native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, leaving investigators with one disturbing question how did these animals travel all the way to Odisha?

As the investigation intensified, the STF reportedly discovered a crucial CCTV lead: a black Thar SUV allegedly entered the forest area late at night around the time the animals were spotted. Investigators then followed the vehicle’s trail through Chandaneswar, Udaypur and the Odisha-West Bengal border, before reportedly tracking its movements towards Digha and further through Kolkata, Kolaghat and Howrah. The trail eventually pointed investigators towards the Grand Heritage Hotel in Digha. The STF reportedly raided the hotel, sealed the premises and questioned three employees, with investigators allegedly finding information that put the hotel owner and his son under the scanner.

The probe has now widened considerably, with the STF reportedly examining records and documents of 32 hotels in Digha as investigators attempt to reconstruct the animals’ journey and identify everyone who may have been involved.

Was the hotel merely a stop on the route, or does it hold a crucial clue to the mysterious arrival of the five orangutans ?

Was the black Thar simply passing through the forest, or could its movements provide the missing link investigators have been searching for ?

And most importantly who brought five non-native orangutans into Odisha, where did they come from, and was a larger wildlife-trafficking network operating behind the scenes ?

The answers could reveal a shocking story far bigger than the five animals found in the forest.