A team of forestmen from Nagpur arrested three accused for smuggling six Star Tortoises in Ajni area and seized the tortoises from them on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
Forest officials got a tip-off about smuggling of the tortoises and they verified it. Later, forestmen laid a trap at Ajni where the accused persons were about to sell the tortoises. They nabbed Durgesh Ramawath Shukla (34), Shubham Kailash Pulewar (25) and Shivam Rajkumar Awathi (21), all residents of Nagpur, and seized the materials.
Foresters registered an offence under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They suspect that some more accused are involved in the case and they are finding the clue.
L V Thokal, Range Forest Officer, Butibori, Sarika Vairagade, RFO, Seminary Hills, Nilesh Tawle, Mahadeo Munde, Yogesh Tadam, Marotar Munde, Kishor Chavan, Kalyani Tiwde and others laid the trap under the guidance of Rangnath Naikade, Chief Conservator of Forest, Dr Bharat Singh Hada, Deputy Conservator of Forest, and N G Chandewar, Assistant Conservator of Forest. Surendra Kale, ACF, is making further investigation into the case.
