Silchar, May 24 -- Two suspected smugglers were arrested in Assam's Guwahati on Friday night while allegedly smuggling 26 rare Tokay Geckos, police said, adding that the consignment had come from Karbi Anglong.

Officers on Saturday said that based on specific inputs, an operation was carried out in Guwahati's Betkuchi area on Friday night, during which the protected wildlife species, locally known as Keko, were rescued.

The suspects had allegedly brought the geckos from Karbi Anglong on a motorcycle and were planning to transport them outside Assam in another vehicle. Police recovered 26 bamboo tubes carefully wrapped with netting and cotton cloth to avoid suspicion during transportation. Each bamboo tube contained a live Tokay Gecko. ...