Uttarakhand: Teen caught selling protected turtles on OLX.com

A 19-year-old has been arrested by the Uttarakhand authorities after he tried to sell a protected species of turtle on e-commerce website, OLX.com.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, Mohit Garg, a resident of Vikasnagar had reportedly uploaded an advertisement for selling some Indian Roof turtles on OLX. This is a criminal act as turtles are protected species under the Wildlife Act.

Meanwhile, concerned forest authorities have reportedly sent a notice to the website regarding the matter.

As per news reports, Garg tried to sell the turtles to a customer in Delhi, where such species are in big demand.

As per wildlife experts, as turtles are used in Feng Shui, there is quite a demand for them.

There has reportedly been an increase in the online purchase and sale of animals, which is facilitating smuggling of such species.

As per news reports, over 250 turtles were seized since 2011 by the government. Reptiles such as red sand boa, ball python and even pangolin scales are also reportedly traded online.