31 turtles seized

KOLKATA, Feb. 5: Thirty-one turtles were seized from a woman by GRP officials at the Howrah Station today. As the Down Jodhpur Express reached platform number 14 at the Howrah station around 4.30 a.m., GRP officials on duty noticed a 60-year-old woman carrying a huge big bag. They immediately stopped the lady, Nanda Devi, and questioned her about what was in the bag. When she refused to utter a word, the officials began searching her bag and found 31 small turtles, following which she was arrested. Forest officials were given the custody of the turtles. The turtles were taken to the state forest department’s headquarters at Salt Lake for rehabilitation. They have identified the species as Indian soft-shelled turtles after noticing star marks on their shells. Mr Sanjib Chakraborty, divisional forest officer, Howrah, said: “These turtles belong to the class of Indian soft-shelled turtles, Schedule 1 Species.”

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