The Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (MP STSF), in a coordinated operation with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), has arrested Tarak Nath Ghosh, the kingpin of a reptile smuggling racket, from Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

The accused, wanted in three cases of transnational illegal trade in turtles and gharials registered in Madhya Pradesh, had been absconding for eight years. Arrest warrants had been issued against him by three different courts.

His syndicate is spread across several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal. He is also suspected to have a network outside India, including in Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore.

Ghosh’s arrest is a major blow to the organised illegal wildlife trafficking network. He will be produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh), on March 9 (Monday). Police/forest custody remand will be sought to obtain further information and intelligence about his alleged network.

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VM/GS