According to reports, the Assam Police recovered 40 exotic animals from two West Bengal-bound SUVs near Rangia in Kamrup district and arrested two persons.
According to police, 40 exotic animals, including 19 monkeys, were confiscated from two Delhi government-registered SUVs travelling from Mizoram to Siliguri in northern West Bengal.
This was the largest seizure of smuggled exotic animals in Assam in recent times, and the other animals included two baby wallabies, 13 small turtles, three large tortoises, and three exotic birds. The exotic animals are housed in several cages. The inmates, who were driving the two SUVs, told police that they had come from Mizoram and were on their way to Siliguri to deliver the animals.
The two SUVs had driven more than 720 kilometres through three northeastern states: Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Assam before being stopped on NH-31 at Rangia, 55 kilometres northwest of Guwahati. According to the police, the two people caught with the exotic animals were being interrogated in order to learn more about animal smuggling.
The animals have been turned over to Assam Forest officials, who will decide what to do next. According to police, these 40 exotic animals were smuggled from Myanmar, and persons from Mizoram and West Bengal are suspected to be implicated in the animal smuggling.