UTTAR PRADESH: Uttar Pradesh Police has rescued 126 Flapshell turtles from a group of men who were trying to smuggle them to Shahjahanpur here the other day.
Tapeshwar Sagar, SHO of Bisalpur Kotwali police station, told Customs Today that the Churra Sakatpur police post in-charge Shyam Singh had received a tip-off about the smuggling of turtles. He raided the spot at Sisaiyya village along with the team and rescued the turtles. While police managed to arrest one of the three alleged smugglers, two gave them the slip, leaving the bag of turtles behind.
The poachers had collected the turtles from local ponds and were taking them to Shahjahanpur in plastic bags. The arrested poacher has been identified as Ram Naresh. He is a resident of Khudaganj town of Shahjahanpur. His accomplices who fled have been identified by him as Sunil Kumar, a resident of Nazarpur village in Shahjahanpur, and Rampal Kashyap of Sisaiyya village.