A woman was arrested at the Guwahati railway station Tuesday after an endangered gecko lizard was recovered from her possession, police said.
Government Railway Police (GRP) officials said the endangered lizard was recovered from the woman during a routine check in the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express.
"The woman confessed that she bought the lizard for Rs.1.5 lakh from someone in Dimapur and was supposed to sell it to a person in New Bongaigaon railway station at Rs.5 lakh," said GRP officials.
The lizard, which was alive, was later handed over to the State Zoo Authority in Guwahati, police said.
Assam Police have recovered several geckos from Guwahati this year and even arrested a reformed militant leader for his involvement in smuggling of the endangered species.
Geckos are an endangered species and it is punishable under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 to either trade in or kill geckos. Some communities in China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan believe geckos can heal deadly diseases like cancer and HIV.
Wildlife experts, however, say there is no truth in this belief.
However, driven by such rumours, the species are hunted in the northeastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.
