A team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) seized three bags containing 100-alive Indian flap shell turtles on early Sunday morning from platform No-3 of Koderma Railway Station in Koderma district. The Indian flap shell turtle is a protected species under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

A team led by in-charge Jawahar Lal, assistant sub-inspector Ankur Kumar, jawans Vikas Mishra and S.K Ram found three bags on the platform with no one around. Lal said suspecting something suspicious, they checked the three bags and found 100-turtles. He said smugglers might have fled after seeing the RPF team there. “We are scanning the CCTV records of the station to find them,” informed Lal.

The RPF team said they had informed the forest department officials about this recovery. “We will handover the turtles to them for its release at someplace safe,” they stated. Lal said they had registered an FIR against the unknown smugglers and search is on for them.

This was not the first time that turtles were recovered in Koderma which has high demands for its meat as well as for making medicines. These turtles are found in ponds, rivers, drains and other water reservoirs of the Indian subcontinent.