Kanpur: Two smugglers of turtles were caught during a checking push on Ramadevi flyover here. As many as 1868 turtles were recovered.
They were identified as Javed and Mohammad Farookh, both residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.
Kanpur STF received specific information about these smugglers. The checking on the basis of the input was done on the Ramadevi flyover here.
Soon, a truck was seized by the officials conducting the checking. The arrested ones were smuggling these turtles under the pretext of mica.
The turtles, being smuggled to Kolkata in West Bengal, were found stuffed in sacks and some even lay scattered on the floor of the truck, as was reported.
From West Bengal, these restricted turtles were then about to be smuggled out of the country to China, Thailand, Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian countries via Bangladesh.
The primary interrogation revealed that there was a gang in Etawah district which collects the turtles from local hunters.
The turtles then are shipped to Bengal through trucks and from there onwards it is smuggled outside the country, as reported.
STF officials have got information regarding the other gang members and a search was launched to nab them.
STF officials then handed over the turtles to the forest department.
DFO Rakesh Kumar told the media that the total number of turtles recovered remains 1868.
"These species are restricted in our country. A case has been registered against the accused under the relevant sections."
"We are further investigating and looking at the possible involvement of more people in the smuggling racket," said Rakesh Kumar.
