Sea cucumbers worth Rs 5.4cr seized, global racket busted

KOZHIKODE: Lakshadweep forest department busted an international racket and

seized

486 dead,

sea

cucumbers worth nearly Rs 5.45 crore on Thursday. Two fishing boats were also seized and seven poachers were arrested as part of the operation, sources said.

According to sources with the

Lakshadweep administration

, Lakshadweep Marine Wildlife Protection Force Watchers of Thinnakara anti-poaching camp, who were on night patrolling around Perumal Par (uninhabited island), caught the poachers red-handed. Experts said that sea cucumbers are mainly smuggled to countries like China and Malaysia for consumption. In such countries, people consider serving

sea cucumber

soup as a matter of prestige. So, poachers aim to export it there, making it an international trade.

Sources said that a team of officials led by RFO Abdul Raheem and OIC (Agatti range) Sinan Yafus along with two foresters, five forest guards and 35 watchers of Lakshadweep Marine Wildlife Protection Force of Thinnakara anti-poaching camp (created for the protection of marine wildlife of Lakshadweep islands) successfully coordinated the entire operation in rough sea conditions.

“Chief wildlife warden Damodhar AT has rushed additional forest force along with senior forest officers from Kavaratti headquarters to the site for further search and appointed an investigating officer to probe the offence and nab the kingpins behind the international trade,” said an official. Officials said that seized vessels and the accused poachers were brought to Agatti Range office headquarters. A wildlife offence report (FIR) has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act-1972 and all the accused will be produced before Amini Island JMFC court. The arrested poachers were identified as Julius Nayagam P of Kanyakumari; Jagan Nath Das of south Delhi, Paran Das of West Bengal, Sajan P of Trivandrum, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammed Hafeelu SB and Saqalain Musthaque from Agatti.

Sources said one of the boats had TN registration, owned by a Kanyakumari native, and the second boat was registered in Lakshadweep by an Agatti native.