Forest officials in Cox’s Bazar rescued a capped langur and 12 turtles and arrested a suspected wildlife trafficker during a raid in Chakaria upazila on Sunday, authorities said.
The suspect, Md Hadis Rahman, 40, a resident of Mirpur-11 in Dhaka, was arrested from a house in Bhangarmukh Bazar during the operation conducted by the Forest Department.
According to forest officials, the raid was carried out after they received information that wild animals were being kept at the house for trafficking purposes.
“We recovered a capped langur and 12 turtles during the operation and arrested Hadis Rahman from the scene,” said Anisuzzaman Sheikh, an officer of the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary.
Forest officials alleged that Rahman had been involved in wildlife trafficking for a long time and had travelled to Chakaria to collect animals intended for smuggling.
A case has been filed against him under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.
The suspect is expected to be produced before a court in Chakaria today along with the rescued animals, Anisuzzaman added.
Source: The Daily Star
