Chandrapur: The forest custody of three out of the six arrested accused has been extended by another three days, while the remaining three have been remanded to judicial custody in In Saoli turtle poaching case.The Saoli Forest Range had earlier apprehended six individuals in the Sirsi reserve area, near Chichdoh barrage, for illegally transporting turtles without permission. The accused were allegedly using the animals for black magic rituals. They were caught red-handed along with the seized material. The court had initially remanded all six accused to four days of forest custody.Acting on a tip-off about the illegal transportation of turtles for occult practices, the forest department laid a trap. The accused were intercepted while returning after allegedly performing black magic rituals on the turtles. The arrested individuals have been identified as Gangadhar Pandu Burande (49), Moreshwar Devidas Devtale (38), Rajendra Shamrao Divase (52), Omdev Gitabai Shinde (25), Hemchand Umaji Shende (28), and Dhaval Usatu Veladi (30). Two turtles and three motorcycles were seized during the operation.Forest Range Officer Vinod Dhurve informed that the rescued turtles have since been released back into their natural habitat. Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing to determine whether more individuals and additional cases of turtle poaching are linked to this incident.
