Foresters in the Baikunthapur forest division on the outskirts of Siliguri foiled an attempt to smuggle animal parts and recovered elephant tusks late on Friday evening and arrested three persons.

Sources said foresters of the Ambari forest range of the division had come to know that a group of smugglers had assembled in Champasari, a locality in the northern parts of Siliguri, and were trying to sell elephant tusks.

“Posing as potential buyers, we contacted them and finalised a deal of Rs 3 lakh for 1kg of tusk. We reached the spot and were able to arrest three persons with two pieces of tusks,” said Alamgir Haque, the range officer.

The pieces together weigh over 2kg. Among those who were arrested, two are from other states while the third is a local.

“We suspect some more people were with them and fled during the raid,” said a forester.