9 months ago
Assam STF Busts Wildlife Trafficking Ring, Seizes Pangolin Scales and Geckos
Imagine some police officers in India who are part of a special team for protecting animals.
They got a tip that some people were illegally catching and selling rare animals and their parts.
The police went to a place called Nagaon and found two men with several protected animals, like geckos and a slow loris, and a lot of scales from pangolins.
They think these animals might have come from a famous park called Kaziranga.
The police caught the two men and are now looking into why they were doing this, as these animals are not supposed to be sold, especially to other countries.
Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) apprehended two individuals in Nagaon district for wildlife trafficking.
The operation resulted in the seizure of six Tokay Geckos, one Slow Loris, and over 10 kg of pangolin scales.
The arrested suspects, identified as Bidya Singnar and Samson Kathar, were residents of Karbi Anglong district.
Preliminary investigations suggest the wildlife parts were collected from Kaziranga National Park and intended for international markets.
Legal proceedings have been initiated under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Who
- Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police, two arrested individuals (Bidya Singnar and Samson Kathar)
- What
- Busted a wildlife trafficking racket, seized endangered species including pangolin scales and tokay geckos.
- Where
- Jakhalabandha area, Nagaon district, Assam.
- When
- Intervening night of Thursday and Friday, culminating on Friday, November 7.
- Why
- To curb illegal smuggling and trafficking of endangered wildlife species to international markets.
Key facts
- Location
- Nagaon district, Assam
- Date of Operation
- November 7 (Friday)
- Arrested Individuals
- Bidya Singnar (30) and Samson Kathar (29)
- Recovered Items
- 6 Tokay Geckos, 1 Slow Loris, 10.630 kg Pangolin scales, 1 Honda Glamour motorcycle, 2 mobile phones
- Suspected Origin
- Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
- Legal Action
- FIR lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Quotes
An Assam Police spokesperson
An Assam Police spokesperson
“in a significant operation against wildlife traffickers, a team of the Special Task Force (STF), Assam, intercepted two individuals engaged in the illegal smuggling of endangered species in the Jakhalabandha area of Nagaon district during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.”
assamtribune.com
“acting on a specific intelligence input and with operational support from the Wildlife Crime Control (WCC) authority, the STF team launched an operation in the Kuthori area under the jurisdiction of Jakhalabandha Police Station on Thursday.”
assamtribune.com
