Mizoram police foils suspected smuggling bid, rescues 468 exotic animals; 5 arrested

Aizawl: Mizoram Police rescued 468 exotic animals suspected to be smuggled from Myanmar in Champhai district, an officer said. Acting on specific inputs, police rescued the animals at Khawkawn check gate in Champhai district bordering Myanmar and arrested five persons for smuggling the wildlife species. The rescued animals included four tortoises, 11 snakes, 442 lizards, four-toed sloths, two beavers, four pattos and one wild cat, the officer said on Thursday.

The rescued animals and the arrested five persons were handed over to the Custom preventive force.

Meanwhile, the Mizoram Police has told all SPs to activate district wildlife crime control sub-units to curb smuggling of wildlife species, another officer said on Friday.

A meeting of Lunglei district wildlife control sub-unit was held on Thursday. The meeting convened by the SP was attended by the district forest officer, commanding officer of 3 Assam Rifles, Honorary Wildlife Warden Lunglei and representatives from Environment Forest and Climatic Change Department and Custom Preventive Force in Lunglei.

The meeting extensively deliberated upon strengthening of cooperation among the members for prevention, detection and investigation of wildlife crimes.

Police said that a dire need is felt to activate district wildlife crime control sub-units across the state headed by SPs in the wake of recent seizures of smuggled exotic wildlife species.