Langur smuggling racket busted in UP; 20 animals rescued and two arrested

A joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and forest department has rescued 20 'langurs' in the Patan village in Unnao, officials said on Monday.

The team also arrested two persons in the case.

According to reports, the langurs were to be smuggled to a poacher in Badaun district.

A case has been registered under the Wildlife Act, 1972, at the Bihar police station in Unnao in this regard. The police have also seized a four-wheeler from their possession.

The accused confessed that they have been bringing langurs from Unnao and selling them for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000. The smugglers have also revealed the names of their accomplices.

Bihar police station in-charge Sudhir Kumar told reporters that a raid was conducted by the sleuths of STF and the forest department at a dilapidated structure in the Patan village from where two persons were arrested and 20 'langurs', locked in steel cages, were rescued.

The accused Saddam Beg and Nadeem Khan are residents of Fatehpur district.

However, the investigators are yet to ascertain why the langurs were being smuggled.

"As of now, the smugglers revealed that they used to sell the 'langurs' to earn their livelihood," said an STF official.

This is the third major smuggling incident of 'langurs' in the last five years, said forest officials.

Earlier, in 2021, about 14 'langurs' were recovered from Badaun. Similarly, in 2018, 14 'langurs' were rescued from smugglers in Shahjahanpur.
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