Bid to smuggle 584 star tortoises foiled

A release from the agency said that 584 tortoises were brought from a southern district of Andhra Pradesh in six bags for further transportation through the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. 

Acting on a tip-off, the DRI officials seized the tortoises and arrested two persons at Triplicane in the city, busting an inter-state gang that is believed to be operating in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Further investigation is on to nab rest of the gang, said sources. In September, DRI Chennai had seized 44 Assam Roofed Turtles, also an endangered species, before they were smuggled out of the country. 

Indian star tortoises, protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and declared vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are prohibited for export under the Foreign Trade Policy. It has also been declared endangered by the International Union for Conversation of Nature.