A big wildlife trafficking racket has been busted in the joint action of Central Bureau of Investigation i.e. CBI and DRI. In this joint operation, the CBI-DRI team recovered and rescued a total of 53 protected animals and birds including 15 Slow Loris, 2 Binturong, 28 Star Tortoises, 6 Egyptian Vultures and 2 Shikra birds. These animals and birds come under Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which have the maximum protection in India.
This joint action was taken at many places in Maharashtra and West Bengal. This action was taken on the basis of specific intelligence gathered by DRI Mumbai, which revealed an inter-state crime syndicate involved in trade in wildlife protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. After this, CBI registered two separate cases on 7 and 8 July 2026 and arrested three accused in Mumbai and three more accused in Kolkata, i.e. a total of 6 accused have been arrested in this case.
Animals and birds were collected from different places
The names of all the arrested accused are Noman Khan (Mumbai), Mohd. Farooq (Mumbai), Insha Shakeel (Mumbai), Saikat Biswas (Kolkata), Mithun Mandal alias Himanshu Mandal (Kolkata) and Arjun Mandal (Kolkata). The case was registered under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Justice Code, 2023. The accused had collected these animals and birds from different places in India for trade.
All animals handed over to forest department
After initial action, the recovered wildlife species have been handed over to the forest departments of Maharashtra and West Bengal for safekeeping and care, while the investigation into the matter is ongoing. This joint action of CBI and DRI shows how the two law enforcement agencies are working together to break wildlife trafficking networks and proactively enforce the Wildlife Protection Act.
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