India frees two Russians arrested for catching bugs
Date: 19-Oct-01
Country: INDIA
The Russians were arrested early in August in the forest area of Yuksome, 150 km (94 miles) west of the state capital, Gangtok, and accused of illegally collecting around 2,000 butterflies, moths and beetles.
Many of the insects were on the endangered list.
The tiny state of Sikkim, with a population of a little over 500,000, is located in the eastern Himalayas and is famous for some 600 varieties of butterflies and 500 species of birds.
The men, identified by authorities as Amossov Oleg and Siniaev Victor, were arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act. They were freed on bail but were not allowed to leave Sikkim.
The court dropped the charges and allowed the men to leave the state after they agreed to pay 20,000 rupee ($417.10) fines each to the government, their lawyers told Reuters.
The two men were certified as entomologists by the Russian consulate. Their lawyers said the men had now left Sikkim.
Encircled by China, Bhutan and Nepal from three sides, Sikkim became a part of India in 1975 but is still not recognised by Beijing as part of India.