Jakarta, IO – Police busted a gang trafficking babies of Komodo dragon pouched from the Komodo National Park.
West Manggarai deputy police chief Commissioner Budi Guna Putra said the perpetrators caught the juveniles using improvised snares. They were identified as Muhamad Nurdin (37) and Aswardin (20), residents of Kerora Hamlet, Rinca Island, per Detikcom, Thursday (2/11).
“The wood (tied with a nylon rope at the end) is used to trap the young Komodo dragons,” said Budi, Wednesday (1/11).
Budi said Nurdin and Aswardin then sold the babies to collectors for Rp2 million each. The collector then sold them to customers in Bali and Java for 10 times more, between Rp20-28 million.
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The police also identified the buyer with the initial of H. “The perpetrators are unemployed; they don’t have a permanent job. They were promised Rp2 million to catch the babies,” said Budi.
In the past five months, June-October, the police uncovered five young Komodo dragons being smuggled to Bali and Java, two of them died after being captured. Police named four suspects in the case, namely Habibur Rahman alias Habib (24), Ishaka alias Sahaka (37), and Nurdin and Aswardin. (rr)