<i>Gecko poachers fined</i>
Two geckos were freed while, inset, four poachers were fined by a mobile court in Khagrachhari district town yesterday.Photo: STAR
A mobile court fined four poachers in the town yesterday for smuggling gecko, locally known as takkhak. The convicts were identified as Fazar Ali, 26, son of Alal Khan, Md Hatam, 27, son of Sirazul Islam, Md Mozammal, 38, son of Siraj Uddin and Mojammal Mia, 30, son of Md Anowar of Rashik Nagar area and Dighinala upazila of the district. Officer In-charge of Khagrachhari Sadar police station Abul Kalam said, acting on a tip-off, police arrested the poachers with two geckos from Shanti bus counter area of the district town around 08:30pm of Saturday while going to Chittagong for selling those. Yesterday morning the arrestees were produced before a mobile court led by executive magistrate Zakir Hossain. He fined each of them Tk 1000 after undertakings and freed the geckos in an orchard near Khagrachhari deputy commissioner's office, the OC added. Poacher Fazar Ali told this correspondent that they caught the geckos from different areas of Rashik Nagar on Saturday morning with an aim to sell those in Chittagong. Gecko poaching has become a common source of income in the area for different classes of people including day labourers, rickshaw-pullers, shopkeepers and others. A poacher can earn Tk 2-3 lakh by selling a 300gm gecko, locals said. Contacted, assistant superintendent of police (Khagrachhari Sadar Circle) Al Asad Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam said, police have launched a drive to stop the illegal act in the district.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments