Assam: STF team seized 11 tokay geckos in Dibrugarh

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: An STF team today seized 11 Tokay geckos from a dhaba at Lahowal in Dibrugarh district.

The STF team led by DSP Satyendra Singh Hazari seized the Tokay geckos from three individuals from the Sun Feast Dhaba located at Lahowal. The three, identified as Debasish Dahotia, Manash Dahotia, and Dipankar Gharpholia, were waiting for a customer to make a deal when they were pounced upon by the STF team.

A car (AS235506) and a motorcycle (AS06AF0276) used for transporting the Tokay geckos were seized by the STF team.

DSP Hazari said that they first received an input that a deal of Tokay geckos was about to be made. After 4-5 days of intelligence gathering, they came to know that the deal was about to be made in Dibrugarh. Accordingly, the STF team arrived in Dibrugarh on Thursday. Finally the three were nabbed from the eatery along with the Tokay geckos.

Hazari said that the Tokay geckos were brought from some place in Arunachal Pradesh by the trio. Debasish Dahotia and Manash Dahotia are residents of Kakopathar in Tinsukia district while Dipankar Gharpholia is a resident of Chabua in Dibrugarh district.

Tokay gecko (Gecko gecko) was declared a protected species in India in 2014 and included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. This legislation prohibits poaching and illegal trade of the species. Additionally, in 2019, the Tokay gecko was included in CITES Appendix II, further regulating international trade due to concerns about unsustainable trade for traditional medicine and the pet trade.

In 2019, India, along with the Philippines, proposed the inclusion of the Tokay gecko in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) due to concerns about its illegal trade for traditional medicine and the pet trade, says WWF India.

Inclusion in CITES Appendix II means that international trade of the Tokay gecko is now regulated, requiring permits and other controls to ensure it doesn’t threaten the species’ survival. The Tokay gecko faces threats from poaching and illegal trade, both for their potential use in traditional medicine and for the pet trade.

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