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| A baby Pangolin. (Getty images) |
BHOPAL: In a major breakthrough Madhya Pradesh forest department on Monday arrested 13 people including a Kolkata-based marine engineer and a corporator involved in smuggling Indian pangolins to China and Vietnam.
Accused have allegedly confessed to poaching and trafficking of 100 pangolins from Madhya Pradesh to China in the last 12 months. Officials confiscated 2 kg pangolin scales from their possession. Blood, meat and scales of pangolins are sold to traditional medical practitioners at a premium in south eastern countries.
Those arrested from Kolkata have been identified as Jamal Iqbal, 59, and his son Danish, 24. Eleven others including an independent corporator were arrested from Chhindwara district.
While Jamal is into leather business, his son Danish was studying marine engineering and was arrested three days before completion of his course.
Chief conservator of forest (CCF), Chhindwara, Chitranjan Tyagi told TOI Jamal had developed a large pangolin poaching network in Madhya Pradesh with the help of Nafeez Ahmad, an independent corporator in Chhindwara. Read More
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
