Guwahati: Two islamist wildlife smugglers Ikramul Hussain and Jamiruddin were arrested by Guwahati police while trying to smuggle 26 endangered geckos out of Assam. They stuffed 26 rare and protected geckos inside bamboo tubes to avoid suspicion. They rode a motorcycle from Karbi Anglong to Guwahati. And they were just minutes away from slipping into the ISBT area — and out of Assam — when Guwahati Police intercepted them near Basistha late at night. “We are investigating the modus operandi to bust the entire network”, said a senior Guwahati police official.
Two wildlife smugglers are now in custody. Twenty-six Tokay Geckos — each worth more than Rs 10 lakh on the illegal market — are safe. And investigators are now trying to determine whether a larger trafficking network was pulling the strings.
The two accused — Ikramul Hussain of Nagaon and Jamiruddin of Barpeta — had sourced the Tokay Geckos from Karbi Anglong district. Exactly how they acquired the reptiles is part of the ongoing investigation.
From Karbi Anglong, the pair transported the geckos to Guwahati on a motorcycle — a mode of transport chosen precisely because it attracts less scrutiny than a vehicle at checkpoints.
The concealment method was what shocked investigators most. The geckos were hidden carefully inside bamboo — a calculated attempt to disguise the illegal cargo as ordinary material during transit. Anyone glancing at the motorcycle would have seen nothing unusual. The bamboo packaging was neat, inconspicuous, and clearly not improvised. This was a practiced method. Their destination was the ISBT area in Guwahati — a busy transit hub from where the animals were to be moved out of Assam to buyers in other states.
Guwahati Police had received secret information about the illegal transportation of protected wildlife within the city. Acting swiftly on the intelligence, a team was deployed near Basistha for a late-night operation.
When Hussain and Jamiruddin came through on their motorcycle, police intercepted them. The bamboo tubes were checked. The geckos were found — 26 of them, alive, crammed inside the tubes.
The numbers involved are staggering. Each Tokay Gecko is estimated to be worth more than Rs 10 lakh in the illegal wildlife market. The total value of the 26 geckos seized in this single operation comes to nearly Rs 3 crore.
Tokay Geckos are among the most trafficked reptiles in Asia. They are targeted by illegal traders due to widespread false beliefs — particularly in Southeast Asian markets. In India, the Tokay Gecko is a protected species under wildlife protection laws. Smuggling them is a serious criminal offence — not a minor infraction but a cognisable crime that can result in significant prison time.
The 26 rescued Tokay Geckos have been handed over to the Forest Department for proper care and legal procedures. Officials confirmed the animals will be kept under protection while the investigation continues.
