Kolkata: Officials of the State Criminal Investigation Department and state Forest department conducted a joint raid to arrest two persons with eight Golden Geckos (takshak) at Habra in North 24-Parganas on Friday.
A source from the Criminal Investigation department said recently the officials got a tip-off that a few persons were going to make some deals involving animals, which is illegal as per the Wildlife Protection Act.
Working on the information, the Criminal Investigation Department sleuths came to know about the smugglers and immediately, the Forest department was intimated. Another source from the forest department came to know that Golden Geckos would be smuggled.
Based on the information, sleuths kept a close watch at Arbelia area in Guma, Habra, on Friday afternoon. Sleuths found two persons, identified as Abbas Sahaji and Sourav Hazra, were behaving in a suspicious way. When Criminal Investigation Department officials went close to them, Sahaji and Hazra allegedly tried to flee the spot. They were immediately detained.
During the search, sleuths found eight Golden Geckos from their possession. They were arrested immediately by the Forest department. Later, sleuths came to know that Sahaji was a local resident and Hazra was a resident of Titagarh area.
According to the State Criminal Investigation department and the Forest department officials, a Golden Gecko is approximately worth 2 lakh in the black market. The reptiles weigh between 250 grams to 400 grams. Later, the case was handed over to the Barasat range officer of the Forest department. According to the Wildlife Protection Act, Golden Gecko is an endangered species. Trading or killing these animals is punishable under law.