Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Local Crime Branch of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Rural Police has apprehended five members of a gang allegedly involved in the illegal trafficking of a rare, protected species of turtle. Police laid a trap at the Pathri toll plaza and intercepted the accused. During interrogation, police learned that the accused were allegedly transporting the turtle to lure victims with promises of obtaining a “rain of money” and “hidden treasure”.
The operation was carried out on September 13. Police Inspector Vijaysing Rajput of the Local Crime Branch received information from a confidential informant that a suspect, accompanied by his associates, was travelling in an Ertiga vehicle from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar towards Amalner in Jalgaon district via Sillod.
Considering the seriousness of the information, a team from the Local Crime Branch immediately set out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Prakash Jadhav and Additional Superintendent of Police Prashant Swami. The team laid a trap at the Pathri toll plaza, located within the jurisdiction of the Wadod Bazar Police Station.
Meanwhile, after spotting the Ertiga vehicle (registration number MH 05 EA 5248) mentioned in the information, police intercepted it and took the five occupants into custody. A search of the vehicle revealed a live turtle inside a plastic jar filled with water.
The investigation revealed that the accused had no valid licence or documentation for possessing the turtle. Verification by the Forest Department confirmed that the turtle belonged to a protected species.
The five accused currently in police custody have been identified as Akhtar Khan Shamin Khan Pathan (52), of Surat, Gujarat; Shaikh Abrar Ahmed Mohinuddin Shaikh (31), of Amalner, Jalgaon; Sabir Khan Ahmed Khan Mewati (45), of Sarbete, Amalner; Shaikh Mukhtar Shaikh Shahabuddin (34), of Amalner; and Sayyad Abrar Ali Roshan Ali (34), of Kasod, Erandol, Jalgaon.
A case has been registered against the accused at Wadod Bazar Police Station under the Wildlife Protection Act. The Wadod Bazar police are conducting further investigations to determine where the protected turtle was sourced from, the motive behind its alleged smuggling and whether anyone else is involved in the case.
The operation was carried out by a Local Crime Branch team led by Police Inspector Vijaysing Rajput and Police Sub-Inspector Lahu Ghode, and comprising Vitthal Doke, Vijay Dhumal, Mahesh Birute, Sani Kharat, Sandip Kolge, Yogesh Tarmale and Jivan Gholap.
