The Forest Department arrested three youths carrying four monitor lizards in the Rajban beat of Paonta Sahib sub division on Friday evening.

The accused, all local residents, were intercepted around 5 pm while riding on a motorcycle. During a search, forest officials recovered four monitor lizards from a white plastic sack they were carrying.

Assistant Conservator of Forests (Paonta Sahib) Aditya Sharma said the accused were also carrying a dog, Gull Terrier, primarily used for hunting and guarding, besides a spear.

The monitor lizards bore dog-bite marks, demonstrating how they had been bitten by the Gull Terrier.

The arrested persons have been identified as Goldie, Gujjar and Anja.

Monitor lizards fall under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides them absolute protection, severe prohibition from poaching and stringent legal penalties.

This seizure while demonstrating the forest department’s vigil has also exposed the nefarious trade of protected wildlife species by unscrupulous elements in the Paonta Sahib area.

Forest officials are probing the backward and forward linkages of the case to ascertain whether the accused were part of a larger network.

A case has been registered under Section 50 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act ,1972, and further investigation is under way.

Monitor lizards are highly valued in the international market to make leather products, besides their use in local folk medicine as well as for local bushmeat. Their thick skin find use in fashion accessories, while their fat and body parts are also sought for use in superstitious practices and aphrodisiac remedies.