The Special Task Force (STF) in Uttar Pradesh apprehended a member of an international turtle smuggling ring in Kanpur district, seizing 171 turtles from him. The arrest of Zahid Ali, a resident of Village Bhatpura, Fatehgarh, was made on July 18 near the Harbansh Mohal police station. The operation also recovered a mobile phone, Aadhaar Card, and the Indian Roofed Turtles.
Efforts led by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau have been ongoing to combat turtle smuggling in Uttar Pradesh, with a focus on the 29 turtle species in India, 15 of which are found in the state. The illegal trade involves live turtles for consumption or as pets, as well as the use of turtle calipee for medicinal purposes. These turtles, categorized as ‘soft-shell’ and ‘hard-shell,’ are abundant in various rivers and ponds across the region.
The STF, under the guidance of Additional Superintendent of Police Avnishwar Chandra Srivastava, has been actively pursuing leads on smugglers trafficking protected turtle species. Intelligence revealed a network of smugglers operating across districts in Uttar Pradesh, with connections to dealers in West Bengal who further export the turtles to countries like China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia through Bangladesh and Myanmar.
A joint operation involving the STF and the Forest Department in Kanpur Range led to the arrest of the smuggler near the Harbansh Mohal railway crossing. The accused disclosed his modus operandi of sourcing turtles from local smugglers near Fatehgarh and collaborating with counterparts in Kanpur to distribute them to Bihar and West Bengal. Legal actions are being initiated under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, by the Kanpur Forest Range against the accused.
