Malda, Dec 20 : The Railway Protection Force of East Central Railway registered a significant breakthrough under 'Operation Wilep' as they saved 790 live tortoises and turtles in two separate operations, being ferried secretly at Barharwa and Malda Town railway stations in West Bengal.

The first operation was conducted at Barharwa railway station on Friday around 4:00 p.m., after the on-duty escorting team of Train No. 15734 Bathindaâ??Balurghat Farakka Express alerted authorities about suspicious bags being transported in Coach S-01.

Acting on the tip-off, the RPF Post at Barharwa swiftly swung into action. As the train arrived at Platform No. 02, the RPF team, with assistance from the escorting staff, carried out a detailed inspection of the coach.

The officials mentioned that during the search, 18 bags were recovered. Of these, 16 bags were found to contain 40 live tortoises each, accounting for 640 animals. One bag contained 21 live tortoises, while another held a single large-sized live tortoise, taking the total number recovered at Barharwa to 662 live tortoises, they added.

According to officials, one male and two female passengers claimed ownership of the seized wildlife. All three individuals were detained, deboarded from the train, and the seizure process was completed in the presence of witnesses.

The authorities informed the Forest Department at Sahibganj about the recovery for further necessary action.

A similar operation was carried out later the same day at Malda Town railway station. During escort duty on Train No. 13410 Kiulâ??Malda Town Intercity Express, RPF personnel noticed a woman passenger carrying five unusually heavy backpack bags along with one jute bag after the train departed New Farakka station.

When questioned, the passenger failed to give a convincing explanation regarding the contents of the luggage, prompting RPF personnel to alert the Malda post.

When the train reached Malda Town railway station at Platform No. 02 at around 10:00 p.m., a joint inspection was conducted by RPF officers along with lady staff.

The search led to the recovery of 128 live turtles concealed inside gunny bags, officials confirmed.

All the seized tortoises and turtles, along with the detained accused persons from both incidents, were handed over to the respective Forest Department authorities for further legal proceedings under wildlife protection laws.

Officials said the operations were conducted under the guidance of Malda Divisional Railway Manager Manish Kumar Gupta and under the supervision of Malda RPF Divisional Security Commissioner Ashim Kumar Kullu.

They added that the Railway Protection Force of Eastern Railway's Malda Division continues to maintain heightened vigilance to prevent illegal activities and ensure safety across the division.

"Through these coordinated and intelligence-based operations under 'Operation Wilep', the Railway Protection Force of Malda Division has once again demonstrated its strong commitment to curbing illegal wildlife trafficking through the railways, protecting the nation's rich biodiversity, and ensuring railway security and passenger safety," the officials said.

/IANS