Malda: In a major breakthrough against wildlife trafficking, the Malda Government Railway Police (GRP) recovered 268 turtles from the Farakka Express on Wednesday morning. The incident sparked considerable commotion at Malda Town Railway Station.
Acting on a tip-off, the GRP launched a search operation as soon as the Delhi-bound train arrived at Malda Town at 9:50 am. During the operation, officers found five large sacks stuffed with turtles in one of the general compartments. “We had specific information about turtles being smuggled by this train. Based on that, we conducted a thorough search and found the turtles packed in bags,” said an official of Malda GRP. Preliminary investigations suggest the turtles were being transported from Uttar Pradesh and were intended for illegal trade in Balurghat.
Following the rescue, the GRP immediately informed the Forest department. Pradip Goswami, Beat Officer of the Malda Forest Division, rushed to the station and took custody of the turtles. “Sadly, 89 of the rescued turtles were found dead. The rest have been taken into our care,” said Goswami. Though no arrests have been made yet, authorities have launched a probe to identify those involved in the smuggling operation.