Turtle Smuggling in AC First Class Coach; Attendant Arrested with 311 Rare Turtles

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Tiger Strike Force has arrested a turtle smuggling gang that was operating in AC First Class coaches of Indian Railways. A total of 311 rare turtles were seized from an AC First Class coach of the Patna–Indore Express.

In this incident, coach attendant Ajay Singh Rajput has been arrested. He is believed to be a key member of the gang, which smuggled turtles from the Ganga and Gomati rivers to foreign countries and various parts of India. The seized turtles belonged to species such as the Indian tent turtle, Indian roofed turtle, and crown river turtle.

All these species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. The turtles were kept in extremely poor conditions inside airtight boxes.

Asif Khan, the alleged mastermind of the smuggling gang, has been arrested from Dewas. Another accused, a teenager, has also been taken into custody from Lucknow.

It has been reported that the gang had been smuggling turtles for several years with the help of railway personnel. Turtle smuggling has increased due to high demand for turtle meat and use in traditional medicine in foreign countries. Wildlife trafficking is a serious crime punishable by up to seven years in prison along with a fine.