Turtle smuggling: 3 int’l wildlife traffickers get five-year jail

Alipurduar: The Alipurduar Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Vikram Mukherjee, Arup Biswas and Rafiq Shaikh, three international wildlife traffickers from Nadia, to five years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each for their involvement in the illegal smuggling of turtles. The verdict was pronounced on Wednesday.

The trio was apprehended in a special operation by the Jaldapara Forest department on April 4, 2024, while attempting to smuggle Travancore tortoises, a rare species found only in the Western Ghats of India. Investigations revealed that the traffickers were part of a larger smuggling ring transporting live wildlife from Kolkata to Bangladesh and Myanmar, often using flights or AC first-class train compartments. A case was filed against the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The Forest department, elated by the swift legal outcome, hailed the conviction, which came just six months after the arrests. Parveen Kaswan, Divisional Forest Officer of the Jaldapara Forest Division, stated: “The accused sought bail from both the Alipurduar District Court and the Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, but their petitions were rejected. Today’s conviction sends a strong message against illegal wildlife trafficking. We are grateful to our legal team and the judiciary for ensuring swift justice.”