The Railway Protection Force on India's Patna-Indore Express discovered over 300 live turtles in an attendant's luggage.
According to Bhaskar English, the animals were discovered during a routine inspection for illegal alcohol.
The attendant kept 311 turtles tightly packed into two separate bags. Wildlife officials told NDTV that these conditions were suffocating, leaving many turtles dehydrated and stressed.
After interrogation, the attendant, Ajay Singh Rajput, admitted to being part of a larger wildlife smuggling network, though this was his first smuggling attempt, as Bhaskar English noted. He was planning to deliver each bag of turtles to separate stops along the train line.
His arrest has led to a wider investigation of a crime syndicate that utilized railways to deliver goods. The syndicate's kingpin was arrested after several days of searching, NDTV reported, and is being interrogated.
Under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, would-be smuggler Ajay faces up to seven years of imprisonment. However, his specific sentence has not yet been announced. The act protects endangered species, including the Crowned River turtle, one of the many turtle species discovered in the bags, NDTV reported.
Crowned River turtles are native to South Asia and typically inhabit wetlands. According to IUCN's Red List, they are mainly threatened by the development of commercial and industrial areas, as well as dams. While poaching isn't among the top threats, it harms an already threatened species. Bhaskar English reported that increasing demand for turtles in aquariums has led to an uptick in smuggling.
In general, river turtles play a crucial role in river ecosystems. According to a 2020 study published in the journal Scientific Reports, river turtles are among the top scavengers in freshwater, outdoing other scavengers such as crayfish, prawns, and shrimp. They remove carrion, contributing greatly to a water body's cleanliness and quality.
According to Bhaskar English, the turtles were put in the forest department's custody, and they will be released into flowing natural water bodies.
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