Prayagraj: Pratapgarh police on Monday claimed to have busted a turtle smuggling racket and arrested four of its key members including Vishwanath Pratap Saroj (29), Mithun Saroj (33), Ashok Kumar Saroj (30) and Chote Lal Saroj ( 34), residents of Leelapur and seized four soft shell turtle from their possession. They were booked under section 9/39/48A/49B and 51 of Wild Life Act.A team of Antoo police receiving an input about a racket involved in illegal wildlife trade was planning to sell out prohibited turtles near Jagdishpur village on Ramnagar Bhojpur route. The cops swung into action and arrested all the four members. Following the recovery of turtles, the police team called up the officials of forest department and handed over turtles to them. The racket was active for the past one year.
