Pangolin smuggler arrested in Kannauj

KANPUR: The forest department of Aravalli district of Gujarat and surveillance team of Kannauj police arrested a member of a gang of wild animal trafficking racket on Thursday.
The arrested person, identified as Minhaj, a native of Bharuch district of Gujarat, was hiding at his relatives place in Jalalpura Panwara area of Kannauj.
“Minhaj and one other of his aide Nasir of Haldwani, Uttarakhand had escaped, while Nadim, their third aide was arrested in connection with smuggling of pangolin carcasses and scales during a raid at a hideout near Ratanpur check post near Shyamlaji town in Aravalli district of Gujarat on September 17,” informed range forest officer, Gujarat, M M Gohil.
“Kannauj Police and forest department officials have handed Minhaj to us and now we would take him back to Gujarat. A case against Minhaj and two others including Nadim and Nasir had been registered at Shyamalaji Forest range under Aravalli forest division. Now, we are on lookout for their third aide Nasir, who is still absconding,” he added.
“Pangolin carcasses and scales weighing over 10k g were recovered from Nadim, who had admitted that they had brought the pangolin carcasses and the scales from Uttarakhand and were on their way to Maharashtra to sell it,” he further said.
As per wildlife experts, pangolin is protected under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
“Pangolins are in high demand for Chinese traditional medicine in southern China and Vietnam because their scales are believed to have medicinal properties. Their meat is also considered a delicacy. Nearly, 100,000 are estimated to be trafficked a year to China and Vietnam amounting to over one million over the past decade. This makes it the most trafficked animal in the world” experts added.