Smuggler arrested with rare Langur, 12 Turtles in Cox's Bazar

The Forest Department has arrested a smuggler named Mohammad Hadis Rahman and rescued a rare, endangered Phayre's leaf monkey (locally known as a capped langur or Mukhpora Hanuman) and 12 turtles during an anti-smuggling drive.

The operation was conducted around 5pm in the Bhangarmukh area of Chakaria Municipality, Cox's Bazar on Monday (June 8). A team from the Forest Department, led by Anisuzzaman Sheikh, the Range Officer of Chunati Range under the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division, Chattogram, carried out the raid.

The arrested individual, Hadis Rahman, 40, is the son of Sultan Miah and a resident near the Kitchen Market at Road No. 3, Mirpur-11, Dhaka.

According to Forest Department sources, an organized syndicate has been secretly collecting various species of wildlife from forest reserves for a long time to smuggle them to Dhaka and other parts of the country. Acting on a tip-off that several wild animals had been stockpiled in a house in the Bhangarmukh area for trafficking, the forest team launched the raid, leading to the arrest and rescues.

Confirming the arrest, Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary Range Officer Anisuzzaman Sheikh stated, "A case has been filed against the accused, Hadis Rahman, under Sections 10(1), 10(4), and 41(3) of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act. He has already been forwarded to the court."

Abu Naser Mohammad Yasin Newaj, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division, Chattogram, emphasized that hunting, killing, capturing, buying, selling, and trafficking wildlife are severe, punishable offenses in Bangladesh. Depending on the nature of the crime and the ecological importance of the species involved, the law provides for a maximum penalty of up to 12 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 1.5 million BDT.

He further noted that this powerful organized syndicate had long been illegally collecting wildlife from various forests in Chattogram and the Hill Tracts to smuggle them across the country via Dhaka.