Belonia, South Tripura — In a major breakthrough against wildlife crime, forest officials in South Tripura have successfully rescued ten monitor lizards, an endangered species, from a 21-year-old man allegedly involved in trafficking. The rescue took place during a routine check near the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday.
According to officials, a joint team of forest guards and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel intercepted the man, who was on a scooter, while he was travelling from Rajnagar to Belonia. A search of his vehicle revealed ten monitor lizards concealed in three sacks. The youth was immediately arrested for possessing a Scheduled I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Trishna sanctuary wildlife warden Bimal Das stated, “This is the first time we have seized such a large number of monitor lizards from this area.” During his interrogation, the accused revealed that he had received the lizards from an unknown person and was en route to Manubazar in South Tripura.
The accused was subsequently produced before a court in Belonia, which granted him conditional bail. Forest officials have launched a full-scale investigation to uncover the wider network behind this trafficking racket. Following a directive from the court, the rescued monitor lizards were examined by a veterinarian before being released back into the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, their natural habitat.
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