Over 1,100 endangered Indian star tortoises seized in Andhra Pradesh
More than 1,100 endangered Indian star tortoises, meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh, have been seized from three passengers of a train at Visakhapatnam railway station in Andhra Pradesh by DRI officials, the agency said today.
- Country:
- India
More than 1,100 endangered Indian star tortoises, meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh, have been seized from three passengers of a train at Visakhapatnam railway station in Andhra Pradesh by DRI officials, the agency said today.
The three traveling by the Yashvantpur-Howrah Express from Vijayawada to Howrah were apprehended after the tortoises were found in their baggage yesterday, a release from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence's Zonal unit here said.
DRI officers from Visakhapatnam Regional Unit carried out the search following a specific intelligence that the star tortoises meant to be smuggled were being illegally transported.
As many as 1,125star tortoises, kept concealed in the cloth bags, were seized and later handed over to forest officials, the release said.
The three passengers told the officials that they were given the tortoises by someone hailing from a place near Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh for being handed over to his accomplice in Howrah for being smuggled to Bangladesh.
The 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, the release added.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
Indian Startup ePlane to Pioneer Electric Air Taxi Prototype by March 2025
IvyCap Ventures Completes Fund III with Rs 2,100 Cr, Targets Indian Startups for Investment Over the Next 12 Years
Indian Startup Ecosystem Expands 300-Fold in a Decade: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
IvyCap Secures Rs 2,100 Crore in Fund III, Targets Indian Startup Investment Spree