Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Officials investigating an inter-state turtle smuggling racket discovered that some attendants of AC First Class coaches were being used to supply illegal consignments.
Acting on specific inputs, the STSF team, in a joint operation with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Bhopal Forest Division, seized 311 rare and endangered turtles from the AC First Class coach of 19322 Patna-Indore Express at Sant Hirdaram railway station on February 3.
Investigations revealed the racket was sourcing rare turtles from rivers in Uttar Pradesh and stashing them on long-distance trains to Madhya Pradesh, from where they were forwarded to customers in MP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and other states. Coach attendants, including Ajay Singh Rajput, were reportedly used as couriers to transport the turtles from UP to MP.
Endangered species
The seized turtles included Crowned River Turtles, Indian Tent Turtles, and Indian Roofed Turtles. A 17-and-a-half-year-old teenager from Lucknow, involved in the racket, was taken into custody and sent to a detention home in Bhopal.
Ongoing investigations revealed that the teenager was part of a larger racket operating in central UP districts, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Unnao, Sultanpur, and Amethi, sourcing turtles from rivers such as the Ganga and Gomti. The racket s kingpin operated from Dewas district in western MP.
Other details
The racket also involved the teenager s uncle and other associates, and had been functioning for several years. After apprehending the courier and prime supplier, STSF sleuths tracked and arrested kingpin Asif Khan from Dewas. Khan is currently under remand and being interrogated. Officials are confident that further questioning will help trace other members of the racket who supply smuggled turtles to customers in MP, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
