Lucknow: Amethi police on Friday busted a wildlife trafficking racket involved in the illegal transportation of rare and protected species of turtles.The cops seized 1,203 turtles and arrested 3 traffickers during a vehicle-checking operation. A sum of Rs 60,000 in cash was also recovered.
The accused attempted to smuggle the turtles concealed beneath a load of bananas in a pickup vehicle. According to police, the recovered turtles belong to a protected category under the Wildlife Protection Act, and their estimated value in the international market is around Rs 30 lakh. An expert said that Amethi area hosts a diverse range of freshwater turtles, including bothsoftshell and hardshell. Those recovered include Indian Flapshell Turtle, Indian Tent Turtle and Indian Softshell Turtle Ganges Softshell.The FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.The turtles will be released into a river after obtaining court permission, said inspector Shivakant Tripathi. The arrested accused were identified as Ramesh and Rajesh, residents of Palpur village in Jagdishpur, and Virendra Vikram from Shravasti. During questioning, they revealed that the turtles were loaded from Palpur village and were transported via Varanasi to Kolkata. Police officials said Palpur village has emerged as a hub of turtle smuggling, with traffickers sourcing turtles from ponds and rivers across Amethi, Rae Bareli, Barabanki, Sultanpur and Ayodhya. In 2017, the STF seized over 9,000 turtles.
