Bhavnagar: The Forest Department has arrested four migrant workers from Bihar, who were involved in construction work at Bhavnagar Airport, for allegedly hunting a turtle and cooking it as a vegetable. Investigation has revealed that the workers killed the wild animal out of the false belief and superstition that it would cure epilepsy.

Based on a tip-off, the Forest Department conducted a raid at the construction site in the airport area. During the operation, the Forest Department team recovered a live turtle and a boiled turtle from the site. The arrested accused have been identified as Ravin Paswan, Ram Pukar Paswan, Anand Kumar Mahanto, and Vijay Kumar Mahanto.

Range Forest Officer B.G. Galani said that the Forest Department inspected the spot in the presence of the FSL team, the Forest Veterinary Officer, and government witnesses, and seized all the items. The samples of the dead turtle have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for testing. A case has been registered against the accused under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Amendment Act, 2022), and they have been produced before the court. The Forest Department has also sought a three-day remand of the accused. DeshGujarat