More than 580 Indian star tortoises that were kept here for being smuggled out of the country have been seized and an inter-state gang involved in the racket busted with the arrest of two persons here, officials said Saturday.
A Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) release said 584 tortoises were brought from Andhra Pradesh in six bags for further transportation through the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.
Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials seized the tortoises and arrested two persons at Triplicane in the city, busting an inter-state gang operating in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
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.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
