9 arrested over attempted smuggling Tokay Gecko in Netrokona

Police have arrested nine people from Kalmakanda upazila of Netrokona while they were attempting to smuggle a Tokay gecko.

The arrestees are Md Shafiqul Islam, 50, Tanvir Hasan, 25, Md Shakil Mia, 27, SM Shiblur Rahman, 44, Nurul Islam, 43, Asmat Ali, 45, Abdul Aziz, 60, and Faisal, 27 of Narsingdi district, Abdul Jalil, 63, of Barishal, and Alam, Khalek, and Sumon of Netrokona's Kalmakanda.

Mohammad Lutfur Rahman, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Kalmakanda Police Station, said acting on a tip-off, police set up a checkpoint early today near the Chinahala Bridge on the Chinahala-Boruakona road in Kalmakanda Sadar Union.

During the search operation, a microbus was stopped, and a Tokay gecko was recovered from inside the vehicle, he said.

Nine people present in the car were immediately arrested, the police official said, adding that a microbus used in the smuggling operation was also seized.

All of them have already been produced before the court, said the OC.

The detainees have been charged under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012, and produced before court, he said.

A case was filed with Kalmakanda Police Station under sections 6(1)/34(b) of the Wildlife Conservation and Security Act, 2012.