A day after eight Brazilian Marmoset monkeys were stolen from the Alipore Zoo, the state forest department suspended zoo’s director Subir Choudhury for an indefinite period. Two guards posted to man the cage of the monkeys were also arrested on Monday.

K S Rajendrakumar, the additional chief secretary of the state forest department, said: “We suspended the zoo director and also suggested that either the detective department of the Kolkata Police or the state detective department should probe the matter. We do not want the case to be lying with the local police station.”

Jawed Shamim, chief of detective department of the Kolkata police, said his department would take up the case soon. Choudhury has confirmed of having received the suspension order.

Eight wild Brazilian Marmoset monkeys (Callithrix Jacchus) were stolen from the Alipore Zoo on Saturday night.

Preliminary investigation showed a gang involved in the illegal trade of wild animals stolen the monkeys by breaking open their cage.

Meanwhile, two guards of the security agency—- Ashok Patro and Shyam Sundar Ghosh— appointed to man cages of the monkeys were arrested and produced before the court on Monday.

After holding a high-level meeting, the state forest department and the state government have asked the BSF to keep a vigil along the state’s borders.

“We are yet to trace the monkeys. We are probing the security system of the zoo—- the role of the security agency, its contract with the zoo and the guards the agency employed,” said Rajendrakumar.

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