14-07-2025
Court sentences 4 in turtle smuggling case
Bhopal: A trial court in Narmadapuram district has sentenced four men to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 each in a 2023 case involving the smuggling of rare Indian Tent Turtles poached from the Ganga River.
The verdict was delivered by Chief Judicial Magistrate Firoz Akhtar in connection with the seizure of 282 turtles—280 alive and 2 dead—found on board the Yeshwantpur Express during a joint raid by the Special Tiger Strike Force (STSF) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on September 30, 2023.
The turtles were being illegally transported from Lucknow to Chennai.
Two accused, Narottam Sarkar and Swapan Pal from West Bengal, were arrested during the operation.
Their interrogation led to the identification of two others—Sugriv (a resident of Ayodhya) and Abhishek alias Raja—who were also found to be involved in the trafficking network.
Those arrested had allegedly confessed to capturing turtles from the Ganga and attempting to smuggle them south. Following the seizure, 280 live Indian Tent Turtles were released into the Tawa Dam area, adjacent to the Satpura Tiger Reserve, as part of the rehabilitation process.
