Two suspected Assamese smugglers were arrested in Guwahati on Friday night while smuggling 26 rare tokai jiko species, police said, adding that the consignment came from Karbi Anglong.
Based on specific inputs, an operation was carried out in Guwahati’s Pitkuchi area on Friday evening, during which the protected wildlife species, locally known as Kiko, was rescued, officers said on Saturday.
The suspects allegedly brought the geckos from Karbi Anglong on a motorcycle and were planning to transport them outside Assam in another vehicle. Police found 26 bamboo tubes carefully wrapped with nets and cotton cloth to avoid suspicion during transportation. Each bamboo tube contains live Tokai Gecko.
“The reptiles were packed in a very concealed manner, indicating a planned smuggling operation,” officers said.
The police identified the arrested persons as Muhammad Ikramul Hossain, a resident of Girjaibam village in Nagaon district, and Dr Jamiluddin of Sunartari village in Barpeta district.
Police said they were being interrogated to determine whether a larger interstate wildlife smuggling network was involved in the operation.
Forest officials said that the tokai gecko is a protected wildlife species under Indian wildlife laws, and smuggling it is a serious crime. They are in extremely high demand on illegal wildlife markets, and each gecko can fetch more than that $10 lakh in such deals, keeping in mind the estimated value of the seized consignment is close to $3 Crores.
The rescued gecko was later handed over to the forest department for care and further legal action. Officials said the reptiles will remain under protection while the investigation continues.
