The Border Safety Power (BSF) has thwarted a cross-border wildlife smuggling try and rescued 296 Indian star tortoises which have been being smuggled to Bangladesh.
The safety drive additionally arrested a 36-year-old Bangladeshi nationwide, Rafikul Sheikh, from the North 24 Parganas district.
The anti-smuggling operation was launched by the BSF troops after receiving an intelligence report about potential wildlife trafficking.
Although the accused tried to flee, the troopers traced him and caught him with three baggage containing 296 tortoises.
Throughout interrogation, Sheikh revealed that he illegally crossed from Bangladesh to India on December 6 beneath the path of his Bangladeshi nationwide affiliate Jakir Hussain. He then collected the tortoises from an Indian seller and was en path to ship them to Hussain.
The accused was handed over to the West Bengal Police, and the seized tortoises are being handed over to the forest workplace in Bangoan.