3 min readBhopalFeb 15, 2026 07:15 AM IST
The AC First-Class coach of the Patna-Indore Express train should have been carrying business executives reclining in cushioned berths. Instead, on a sweltering afternoon at Sant Hirdaram railway station, forest officers discovered a different kind of passenger — over 300 endangered turtles, stacked like contraband in the shadows of India’s most expensive passenger compartment.
RPF officials said they were on a routine check when they noticed the suspicious behaviour of Ajay Singh Rajput, a coach attendant aboard the Patna-Indore Express, who caught their attention. A search of his two bags revealed dozens of small, live Indian tent turtles — a fully-protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
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Rajput, a four-year railway employee working through a private contracting agency, allegedly admitted receiving the bags from an unidentified contact in Lucknow.
“As a first-class coach attendant, Rajput enjoyed privileges that made him an ideal courier. He had access to a private cabin and bedding storage compartments, spaces rarely checked during routine inspections. The bags sat camouflaged among personal items and linens, invisible to passengers and, under normal circumstances, to authorities,” said a senior police officer.
The trail began not in Madhya Pradesh, but hundreds of kilometers away, along the muddy banks of the Ganga and other clean, flowing river systems where these Indian Tent Turtles thrive. These small, soft-shelled reptiles, reaching up to 350 mm in length with distinctive tent-shaped carapaces, play an outsized ecological role. They feed on algae, acting as natural cleaners that help maintain oxygen levels and river health.
According to investigators, local collectors “working as ground-level operatives trapped turtles from wetlands and tributaries under cover of darkness. The reptiles were then funnelled into a distribution chain that spanned at least five districts of Lucknow, Kanpur, Unnao, Sultanpur, and Amethi”.
Police also arrested one Asif Khan, a resident of Dewas district in western Madhya Pradesh. Detained on February 10 after days on the run, Khan is now under custodial interrogation. Forest officials believe his network stretches beyond state lines, potentially linking financiers and black-market distributors across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
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All 311 seized turtles are now in the protective custody of forest department authorities. Wildlife veterinarians examining the animals reported signs of dehydration and stress. “Those deemed healthy enough will be released into clean, flowing natural water bodies where the species can survive, environments increasingly rare as India’s rivers face mounting pressures,” said a senior wildlife official.
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