Kanpur: Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau arrested a reptile smuggling kingpin from Kanpur after he evaded authorities for eight years.
Officials identified the accused as Tarak Nath Ghosh. He is the alleged leader of a transnational wildlife trafficking network involved in illegal trade of turtles and gharials.
Authorities had registered three cases against him in Madhya Pradesh. Courts in the state also issued arrest warrants in those cases.
Investigators said Ghosh remained absconding for eight years. However, a joint operation by MP STSF and WCCB finally led to his arrest in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Officials believe his syndicate operated across several Indian states. These include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal.
Reptile smuggling kingpin linked to international trafficking network
Investigators suspect that the reptile smuggling kingpin also maintained international links.
According to officials, the alleged network extended to countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore.
Authorities described the arrest as a major setback to organised wildlife trafficking operations.
Officials will produce the accused before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, on March 9.
Investigators will seek police or forest custody remand to question him further. They aim to gather more intelligence about the alleged smuggling network.
