New Delhi: The CBI has taken over an investigation into sea cucumber poaching syndicates in Lakshadweep on a reference from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau after 173 dead and 46 alive pieces of the marine animal were seized from a boat around Suheli Charyakara island.
The Forest Department in Kavaratti had intercepted a boat in January carrying 173 dead sea cucumbers, a protected rare sea animal, preserved with salt while 46 were found alive in the fish tank on the boat having reported value of around Rs 2 crore and four persons aged between 19 and 44 years were taken into custody, officials said.
Initially, the case was probed by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Environment Ministry but later it was decided to hand it over to the CBI which took over investigations on Thursday registering an FIR in the matter, they said.
More cases related to seizures of sea cucumbers and arrests of poachers are likely to be taken over by the agency soon, they said.