BHOPAL: Interpol has issued a Red Notice against Bangladesh-based alleged wildlife smuggling kingpin Al Haj Shafiqul Islam Rahmal Talukdar, alias Raymond Talukdar on April 29, following sustained efforts by the Madhya Pradesh forest department’s State Tiger Strike Force.
A Red Notice is issued against an individual, acting as an international alert for fugitives wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. It requests that law enforcement worldwide locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action
Back in July 2025, the MP STSF had seized 30 baby gharial/hatchlings (Gavialis gangeticus), 17 red-crowned roofed turtles (Batagur kachuga), and 19 three-striped roofed turtles (Batagur dhongoka) from three persons in Morena district. A forest offence case was subsequently registered and taken up for investigation.
Subsequent investigation had revealed the involvement of an organised international gang, which smuggled rare aquatic and semi-aquatic wildlife species to Bangladesh through West Bengal. Once in Bangladesh, the smuggled rare species were supplied/smuggled to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries.
The STSF also carried out operations in other states of the country and, till date, has arrested a total of six accused in this case. In March 2026, the country’s biggest aquatic wildlife smuggler, Taraknath Ghosh, resident of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas was arrested from Kanpur Central Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh. Several wildlife crime cases had already been registered against him in multiple states.
Later, Ghosh’s quizzing by the STSF sleuths coupled with scientific evidence, revealed that the international gang’s kingpin was Al Haj Shafiqul Islam Rahmal Talukdar alias Raymond Talukdar, a resident of Bangladesh. He is involved in trafficking aquatic wildlife from South Asian countries to several Southeast Asian nations.
Based on the evidence collected by the STSF, the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court in northern MP’s Shivpuri district, issued an arrest warrant against Talukdar. Through the Central Government, the STSF then established contact with Interpol, and with Interpol’s assistance, information regarding Talukdar was collected from the concerned law enforcement agencies of other countries.
After relentless efforts, considering the widespread network of Talukdar’s gang across several countries, Interpol issued a Red Notice against Al Haj Shafiqul Islam Talukdar on April 29, 2026 on the request of MPSTSF. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, New Delhi, provided continuous support in the operation.
Interpol, officially known as the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO-Interpol), is an international organization formed by more than 195 countries. It facilitates cooperation among police and other law enforcement agencies worldwide and assists in crime control. Interpol has also appreciated the work of the STSF on four occasions.