10 arrested from Rawalpindi for extracting oil from lizards

RAWALPINDI: As many as 10 people were arrested for suspected animal trafficking while 500 spiny-tailed lizards — which are used in making aphrodisiac oil — were seized by the Rawalpindi Wildlife Department on Thursday.

The Rawalpindi District Wildlife Officer (DWO) Rizwana Aziz led a team comprising Wildlife Inspector Amjad Abbasi and others conducted raids on Saddar road. The raid was carried out on the directions of the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Saifullah Dogar who had received several public complaints about the illegal practice of extracting oil from lizards near Fawara Chowk.

Apart from recovering the lizards, the teams also seized stoves, gas cylinders, frying pans and other equipment from the possession of the suspects which was used to extract oil from their body.

The suspects were identified as Mohammad Ajmal, Rizwan, Wasim, Mohammad Aslam, Mohammad Nasir, Munir Ahmed, Sultan Mahmood, Mohammad Khalil, Mohammad Nadeem, and Khawar.

The suspects were later presented before Civil Judge Sameera Alamgir, who sent them to the Adiyala jail on judicial remand. The court also directed the wildlife department to present a charge-sheet against all suspects on January 1.

Meanwhile, the wildlife department has stated that all recovered reptiles will be freed in the forest.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2019.