KENDRAPARA: Forest officials on Saturday arrested four persons and seized around 30 kg of live mud crabs from them. The accused are Sanjay Mandal, Shyamapada Mandal, Haripada Raptan and Bikas Raptan of Debendranarayanpur village within Bhitarkanika National Park.
A boat and fishing nets were also seized from them, said forest officer of the park Sanjay Kumar Pradhan. He said the accused have been booked under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Pradhan said the mud crabs were later released in the water bodies of Bhitarkanika. He said following reports that crabs are being supplied from the park to other parts of the State and neighbouring West Bengal, forest guards were recently deployed in Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas to stop the illegal trade.
“The measure seeks to put a stop to large scale supply of crabs by the local traders and crab catchers. Crab catchers and crab suppliers are responsible for disturbing the local crab population and ecology, particularly the alarming depletion of the unique mud crab species found in these protected areas,” said the forest officer. He said crocodiles of the park feed on the crabs.