Foresters of Baikunthapur forest division recovered two tokay geckos, a rare lizard species, from Fatapukur of Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday.

Three persons have been arrested in this connection.

Sources said that acting on a tip-off, Alamgir Haque, the range officer of Ambari forest range, intercepted an SUV at Fatapukur.

As they searched the vehicle, they found the geckos in it.

“There were three persons in the vehicle and they had plans to smuggle the geckos to Nepal through the India-Nepal border adjacent to Siliguri,” said a forester.

He said that selling this lizard species is illegal in India.

However, this species is in huge demand in China and is used in making traditional Chinese medicines.

“We suspect a smuggling racket is active in this region. Our officers are probing the case,” he added.

Tokay geckos resemble house lizards but have thick, cylindrical bodies, with heads set apart from their necks. Their limbs are well-defined and powerful. Their bodies are covered in spots.

Geckos are known for their strong grip and ability to “stick” to surfaces. The grip force of a tokay gecko is especially impressive.