Tipped off by a special source, the police squad raided the area in Lalitpur and arrested two people, who have been identified as Saheb Mahato, 27, of Umjan VDC-8 of Bara district and Arjun Shah, 28, of Dewad-1 of Mahottarai district. During preliminary investigation, police identified that the two were hiding the endangered species at their shops to sell in the illegal market.
According to the CITES Convention (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), to which Nepal is a signatory, and the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029, any illegal possession, purchase and sale of such species is illegal.
The two were sent to District Forest Office, Hattiban, Lalitpur and the seized species were handed over to the Central Zoo, Jawalakhel for protection.
Roughly 5,600 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants are protected by the CITES Convention against over-exploitation through international trade.
The tortoises are being collected, traded, and utilized in overwhelming numbers in recent days in South Asia and used for food, pets, and traditional medicine.
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