Bhubaneswar: Officials of the Forest Department have seized over 7,000 turtles from a vehicle in Khurda district of Odisha today.

The turtles were illegally transported in a vehicle bearing a West Bengal registration number.

The officials intercepted the mini-truck near Godipada toll gate on National Highway-16 in Khurda district and seized the turtles. The turtles were kept in around 400 trays, sources said.

The turtles were kept with ice in the trays and each tray was containing at least 20 turtles. Officials of the Forest department have launched a probe into the incident and detained the driver of the vehicle for questioning.

It is worth mentioning here that the Forest Department officials had seized around 500 live freshwater turtles from a vehicle in Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri district in October, 2024.

The turtles were being trafficked from Andhra Pradesh to MV-79 area. Freshwater turtles are often trafficked to various places in the country for meat and other purposes.