3 min readBhopalFeb 15, 2026 07:15 AM IST The AC First-Class coach of the Patna-Indore Express train should have been carrying business executives reclining in cushioned berths. Instead, on a sweltering afternoon at Sant Hirdaram railway station, forest officers discovered a different kind of passenger — over 300 endangered turtles, stacked like contraband in the shadows of India’s most expensive passenger compartment. RPF officials said they were on a routine check when they noticed the suspicious behaviour of Ajay Singh Rajput, a coach attendant aboard the Patna-Indore Express, who caught their attention. A search of his two bags revealed dozens of small, live Indian tent turtles — a fully-protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO Rajput, a four-year railway employee working through a private contracting agency, allegedly admitted receiving the bags from an unidentified contact in Lucknow. “As a first-class coach attendant, Rajput enjoyed privileges that made him an ideal courier. He had access to a private cabin and bedding storage compartments, spaces rarely checked during routine inspections. The bags …