Dibrugarh: Special Task Force (STF) team led by DSP Satyendra Singh Hazari of Dibrugarh Police on Friday, rescued 11 Tokay geckos from a dhaba in Lahowal, Dibrugarh district of Assam, leading to the arrest of three individuals involved in the illegal trade.
Following the development, DSP Hazari stated that the team acted on intelligence indicating that a Tokay gecko deal was imminent in Dibrugarh, Assam on Thursday.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
During the operation, the team nabbed three smugglers identified as Debasish Dahotia, Manash Dahotia, and Dipankar Gharpholia along with Tokay geckos from the Sun Feast dhaba at Lahowal, Hazari confirmed.
Debasish Dahotia and Manash Dahotia are residents of Kakopathar in the Tinsukia district while Dipankar Gharpholia is a resident of Chabua in the Dibrugarh district, Hazari asserted.
He said that the team also seized a car bearing registration number AS-23-5506 and a motorcycle bearing registration number AS-06-AF-0276 that the smuggler used for transporting the Tokay geckos.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Hazari added that upon investigating the smugglers, the came to light that they brought the Tokay geckos from Arunachal Pradesh.
Notably, the Indian authority declared the Tokay gecko (Gecko gecko) as a protected species in India in 2014 and included it in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
This legislation prohibits poaching and illegal trade of the species.
Unfortunately, the Tokay gecko faces threats from poaching and illegal trade, both for their potential use in traditional medicine and for the pet trade.