Kolkata : Two people were arrested Sunday and more than 2,000 soft-shell turtles seized from them in West Bengal’s Howrah district, an official said.
In a joint operation by Howrah and Kharagpur forest officials, police intercepted a truck, carrying the turtles at Dhulagarh check post in the district.
“We have seized 2,200 Indian soft-shell turtles and arrested two people. The truck was coming from Andhra Pradesh and headed towards Bangladesh,” Divisional Forest Officer (Howrah) Majedar Rahaman told IANS.
Categorised under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the turtles are mostly consumed as meat, which is a delicacy both in Bangladesh and countries in the Gulf region.
“The turtles have been sent to the animal rescue centre while the accused have been handed over to the police for further action,” said Rahaman.