The Uttar Pradesh Police confiscated 100 live turtles on Tuesday after apprehending a smuggler involved in trafficking turtles and other banned species.
Bheem, 38, a resident of Ghaziabad, was arrested in Geeta Colony following a tip-off from an informer. The police seized a total of 100 live turtles from him, including 50 Indian-roofed turtles, 45 black-spotted pond turtles, three Indian eye turtles (Schedule-I), and two Indian softshell turtles (Schedule-I).
Case Details
The Geeta Colony Police Station received information about the arrival of a turtle smuggler in the area. Around 1:15 pm, a person on a scooter carrying a large bag was spotted coming from Shakarpur. The informer identified the scooter driver as the suspect, and the police apprehended him on the spot.
Upon searching the bag, the police discovered the live turtles. Bheem could not provide a satisfactory explanation for possessing the turtles, and due to the seriousness of the matter, he was taken to the police station along with the confiscated turtles.
Case Insights
A case was registered under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act at Geeta Colony Police Station. The Wildlife Department was also informed.
During interrogation, Bheem revealed that he and his associate, Ravi Bhatnagar, had been smuggling turtles and other banned species based on customer demand for a long time. Bheem sourced the turtles from the Ganga River in the Garhmukteshwar area and its subsidiary rivers.
Bheem also disclosed that a case was recently registered against his associate Ravi Bhatnagar for turtle smuggling at Nandgram Police Station in Ghaziabad. The search for Ravi Bhatnagar is ongoing.
