Interstate racket busted, over 1 tonne tortoises seized in Odisha’s Malkangiri

Bhubaneswar: The Forest department busted an interstate racket involved in the smuggling of tortoises in Odisha’s Malkangiri district today.

The officials seized around 600 tortoises weighing over a tonne and arrested two persons in this regard.

The tortoises were being illegally brought to MV-79 area of Malkangiri from Narsipatnam in Andhra Pradesh in a vehicle.

On a tip-off, officials of the Forest department at Chitrakonda intercepted the vehicle near Andhra-Odisha border and found the tortoises stuffed in thermocol boxes.

The officials seized the tortoises and launched a probe in this regard.

“We have seized the tortoises. Two persons including the driver of the vehicle have been arrested. A probe has been launched to find out details regarding the racket,” said an official of the Forest department.