Wildlife smuggling racket busted in Uttar Pradesh

NEW DELHI: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Uttar Pradesh Police today smashed a racket of wildlife smuggling in north Indian states with the arrest of five persons in Bijnor district.

Five persons were arrested in a joint operation in Nazimabad in UP's Bijnor district and one tiger skin and four leopard skins were recovered from them, sources in the WCCB said here.

"Busting a racket involving poaching and trading of wildlife is a major breakthrough. It is a very large network of smugglers operating in entire north India," a WCCB official told PTI and indicated more arrests could be made.

The wildlife articles were allegedly smuggled out from Corbet National Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park situated in Uttarakhand.

The official said the arrests were made on the basis of a lead that some persons were trying to sell the skin of tiger and leopards in Bijnor.

A case under the Wildlife Act has been registered against the arrested persons, the official added.