OUR CORRESPONDENT
BONGAIGAON: Two suspected wildlife traffickers were arrested and a rare tokay gecko was rescued during a joint operation by the Forest Department in Abhayapuri in Assam’s Bongaigaon district, officials said. The operation was conducted by the forest team of the Bongaigaon Aie Valley Forest Division in coordination with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, following a tip-off about an attempt to sell the rare reptile in the illegal wildlife market.
The arrests were made when the two suspects were allegedly preparing to sell the reptile on the black market for around Rs 3 lakh. The accused have been identified as Umar Ali (50 years), a resident of Tinkonia Part II, and Kamal Kha Sutradhar (48 years) from Amguri Part II.