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MUMBAI: Two men were arrested after they were caught with a creep of 300 star tortoises meant to be smuggled abroad. The star tortoises, also known as button tortoises, had been bundled in a very “claustrophobic” manner- some were stuffed into two tiny boxes and some in haversacks with hardly any ventilation. Also, the containers in which they were kept were extremely “unhygienic”, said officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
While two men from Andhra Pradesh-identified only as Kondaiah and Srikant-were arrested from Vashi in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, a third who was to collect the tortoises from them slipped away. The agency officials alerted state wildlife officials and handed over the tortoises and the two accused to them.
The tortoises are classified as ‘endangered’ under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 .
A star tortoise is an expensive reptile in the international pet market in several Asian countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Besides, they are also in great demand in Europe and North America.
The two accused were produced in a court in Thane which has remanded them in judicial custody.
