Agartala: Ten monitor lizards, an endangered species, were rescued in South Tripura district, a forest official said on Tuesday.
A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
The man was detained during a routine check on the Belonia-Sonamura road near Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary. A team of forest guards, assisted by BSF personnel, intercepted the man on Monday as he rode a scooter from Rajnagar to Belonia. They seized the lizards from his possession.
The individual has been arrested on charges of wildlife trafficking. During the search, ten monitor lizards, concealed in three sacks, were recovered.
“The youth was arrested for carrying the endangered species, a Schedule I animal, according to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972,” said Bimal Das, Trishna sanctuary wildlife warden.
The accused claimed during interrogation that he had collected the lizards from another person and planned to take them to Manubazar in South Tripura district. The accused was produced before a court in Belonia, which granted him conditional bail.
Das stated, “We have started an investigation to identify those involved in the animal trafficking racket.”
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He noted that this was the first time ten monitor lizards were seized from the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, which is considered a natural habitat for the species.
Following the court’s directive, all the rescued monitor lizards were released back into the sanctuary after a veterinary doctor examined their condition, he added.
