Rajkot, Oct 26 (IANS) The Rajkot Special Operations Group (SOG) in Gujarat has busted a gang involved in the illegal sale of rare pangolins worth Rs 22 crore. The gang was allegedly smuggling the endangered species from the Gir forest area and attempting to sell them in major cities.

Acting on intelligence, the SOG carried out a swift operation and arrested three persons, including the key accused Bijal alias Vijay Jeeva Solanki. Investigations revealed that while one accused believed the pangolin’s value to be Rs 25 lakh, the ringleader was trying to sell it for Rs 22 crore.

Following the arrests, the accused and the rescued pangolin — protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act — were handed over to the Forest Department.

Officials, including RFO B.B. Wala and ACF Chirag Chandgude, have begun questioning the suspects to determine how many pangolins were previously sold and at what price. The court has granted a four-day remand for further investigation.

The breakthrough came after the police tracked a suspicious individual in Rajkot and found videos and messages related to the sale of a pangolin on his mobile phone. The probe led officers to a farm near Ghantwad forest, where the accused were caught attempting to trade the animal.

The operation marks the state’s first major joint effort between police and forest authorities to curb pangolin smuggling. Pangolins, also known as anteaters, are covered in tough scales and curl into an armoured ball when threatened.

Pangolins are considered the most trafficked mammals in the world, primarily driven by demand in countries like China and Vietnam, where their scales and body parts are falsely believed to have medicinal or rejuvenating properties. Despite being protected under international and national wildlife laws, thousands of pangolins are illegally captured from forests across Africa and Asia each year and smuggled across borders for high-value trade.

This illicit trafficking not only threatens their survival but also disrupts ecosystems, as pangolins play a crucial role in controlling insect populations. Global conservation agencies have repeatedly raised alarms about the scale of the crisis, urging stricter enforcement, cross-border monitoring, and public awareness campaigns to curb the illegal trade and protect these unique, armour-scaled mammals from extinction.

–IANS

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