Chennai: Customs and divisions staked out a big breakthrough at Chennai airport. Chennai Air Cargo Customs has recovered 2,247 live Indian Star turtles from a consignment to Thailand. An attempt was made to smuggle them from India. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said that the recovered star turtles have been handed over to the State Forest Department for rehabilitation.

The officer said that 4 species of tortoises are included under the schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is one of the most prized extinct species in international illegal markets around the world. In India, turtles of this species are found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, and Telangana. They have been smuggled on a large scale in the last three decades.

According to the same sources, this rare species of turtle is in high demand abroad. It sells for 3.5 lakh rupees per piece abroad. In India, it costs up to 50,000. In foreign countries, the market opens up like a regular stock market and its price is fixed.

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