Woman among three arrested for selling protected monitor lizard parts

Indore: Three persons were arrested in Mandsaur for allegedly selling body parts of a monitor lizard, a protected wildlife species, near Nehru Park Gate at Nehru bus stand.The arrests followed a tip-off received by Mandsaur divisional forest officer, Mandsaur, about the illegal sale of wildlife remains at the location.

On receiving the information, a special team was immediately formed and dispatched to the spot to take action, an official release said.Acting on the description provided by the informer, the team apprehended one woman and two men while they were allegedly selling 19 pieces of monitor lizard (goh) body parts, known as 'hatha jodi.'The accused wereidentified as Suresh Singh, 54; Karol Singh, 36; and Bharatbai, 52, wife of Suresh Pardi.

All three are residents of Rupawali village in Mandsaur district, the release said.The monitor lizard is listed as a protected species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Based on this, a forest offence case was registered against the accused under various sections at the Mandsaur range.Illegal hunting, trade or sale of parts of this species carries a punishment of three to seven years of imprisonment along with a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.The three accused were produced before the court, where the judicial magistrate remanded them to judicial custody until July 15, 2026.