Kamal Ghorui
Patna: In a major crackdown on wildlife trafficking, the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Patna Junction busted a turtle smuggling racket and rescued over 100 live turtles from one of the coaches of the Delhi-Malda Town Farakka Express (13484) during a special operation on Friday.According to Patna GRP inspector Rajesh Kumar Sinha, acting on a tip-off, GRP personnel conducted a search operation at the station when the train reached platform number 3 around 4am on Friday. The alert railway police team recovered the turtles packed inside five sacks. He added that the consignment was being transported illegally to another state.The action by GRP personnel foiled the smuggling attempt before the consignment could be moved further to reach its destination. Altogether five people, including a woman, were arrested in connection with the case. He said rigorous interrogation of the accused revealed that a larger network was involved in the illegal wildlife smuggling trade from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal.According to police sources, the seized turtles are believed to be worth lakhs of rupees in the illegal market. The incident has raised concerns over the use of railway routes for wildlife trafficking. Railway authorities also said intensified checking drives are being carried out, especially during the festive season, to curb such illegal activities, sources said.Incidents of turtle smuggling through railway networks have been reported frequently in Bihar and neighbouring states, indicating the presence of an organised inter-state trafficking network targeting protected species, a railway official of Danapur said.According to sources, the rescued turtles were handed over to the forest and wildlife department for further investigation while GRP and RPF posts have been put on alert to carry out a vigorous drive to check passenger trains vulnerable to wildlife smuggling, sources said.
