As many as 103 turtles rescued from smuggling attempt on private bus
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BALURGHAT: As many as 103 turtles were rescued from a private bus travelling from Siliguri to Balurghat on Sunday. Passengers of the bus noticed suspicious bags being carried by three individuals, leading to the spotting of the illegal cargo.
The incident occurred in the South Dinajpur’s Joredighi area, where the three suspects — one man and two women — fled from the bus after being questioned by fellow passengers. The passengers alerted the police and Forest department, leading to the recovery of the turtles packed in four bags. However, they were later arrested. The arrested individuals have been identified as Vinod Kanjad (38), Sangeeta Kanjad (20) and Isha Kanjad (19), all residents of Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. They were reportedly travelling from North Dinajpur’s Dalkhola to Gangarampur when their illegal activity was exposed.
The turtles and the accused were handed over to the Forest department by the Bansihari Police Station. Bhupen Biswakarma, an official from the Raiganj Forest department, stated: “With the joint efforts of the Kushmandi Forest department and the Bansihari Police, we successfully recovered 103 turtles and arrested three individuals. They were attempting to smuggle the turtles on a private bus from Sultanpur. Investigations are ongoing and the accused were presented before the Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Court on Sunday.”