Suspected kingpin of trade in animal parts arrested

India: A 40-year-old woman was arrested by forest officials for trading wildlife products at the Sunday market area on Tamil Sangam Road on Tuesday. Officials seized five green turtle carapaces, broken carapaces pieces and 52 pangolin scales from M Chinnakaruppi, who hails from Nagamalai Pudukottai situated on the city outskirts.

She has been arrested under Wildlife Protection Act, since pangolin is protected under Schedule 1 of Wildlife Act. Forest officials suspect that she may be the kingpin in animal parts trade in the city. Chinnakaruppi will be remanded in judicial custody but forest officials are planning to summon her for further inquiry in future.

Throughout the inquiry she maintained that she collected the items from nearby forest areas. But stumbling on a green turtle carapaces in Madurai forest areas is impossible and spotting a pangolin is difficult in the region.

(Source: The Times of India)