HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Sept 26: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of NF Railway, acting on intelligence information, successfully recovered a significant quantity of rare tortoises that were being transported illegally on train no 13176 (Silchar – Sealdah) Kanchenjunga Express.
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On September 25, 2023, an intelligence report alerted IPF/CIB/LMG regarding the illegal transportation of a large number of tortoises by unidentified individuals. The information was promptly shared with IPF/RPF/LMG and GRP/LMG. A joint team comprising CIB/LMG officials, RPF, and GRP Lumding conducted a thorough search and inspection of train no. 13176 upon its arrival at Lumding Railway station.
During the inspection, they discovered three suspicious black bags under the custody of two individuals located beneath their berths. The individuals were asked to open the bags, revealing six plastic containers in total. These containers held a total of 74 tortoises. Upon further questioning, the individuals confessed to transporting the tortoises from Silchar to Guwahati. RPF/Post/LMG took custody of the recovered tortoises, along with the plastic baskets and bags, and detained the two individuals for further legal action.
The incident was reported to the forest range officer, Lumding Range, who promptly arrived at RPF/Post/LMG to take custody of the 74 tortoises with the necessary documentation. Both individuals were apprehended under the Wildlife Protection Act, and a case was registered by the LMG forest range officer. The accused individuals were produced in the Lower District Court of CJM/Hojai for legal proceedings.
