Man held with 13 protected Indian star tortoise hatchlings in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad City Range of the Forest Department on Tuesday booked a Shahpur resident following a raid in which the accused was found allegedly possessing 13 Indian Star Tortoise hatchlings, a protected wildlife species.

The accused, Nitin Dataniya, has been booked under Sections 9 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. He was produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, who granted the Forest Department two days of remand. Officials will question him to determine how he obtained the tortoises and whether they were intended for sale or distribution.

The raid was conducted by the Ahmedabad City Range team under the direction of Chief Conservator of Forests Dr K. Ramesh and Deputy Conservator of Forests Minal Jani. DeshGujarat