In a major haul of wildlife, forest department officials in Agra have seized over two thousand kinds of insects and sea creatures from the residence of one Brijesh Upadhyaya, against whom an arrest warrant has already been issued in connection with the recent seizure of dead animals.
The seizure comes exactly a week after a consignment of a hundred dead snakes and the same number of tortoise were seized from the office of a courier company which was to deliver them to Upadhyaya, who runs a laboratory in Agra.
Search parties led by District Forest Officer SP Yadav found jars and containers full of dead animals - sharks, octopuses, ray fish, sea-horses, chameleons and snakes including cobras, pythons and vipers - all kept in formalin.
Computer hard discs were also recovered from Upadhayaya's three-storey residence.
Yadav said the collection was clearly meant to be smuggled out to other countries for illegal trading and was not for research at Upadhayaya's Brij Scientific Laboratory.
An arrest warrant has already been issued against Upadhyaya, who is absconding ever since the interception of a consignment of hundred dead baby tortoises and an equal number of snakes, including cobras, from Chennai on September 13.
A case has also been registered against the courier company from whose office that consignment was seized.
{{/usCountry}}A case has also been registered against the courier company from whose office that consignment was seized.
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