On Thursday afternoon, intelligence officials along with forest department officials intercepted a woman in Mumbai who was smuggling 523 star tortoises with her, reported The Hindustan Times.
The 42-year-old woman was travelling with two children was stopped at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Kurla. The Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) received a tip-off after which a five-member team from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) reached the terminus at around 1:30 pm.
The regional deputy director, two inspectors and two constables from WCCB were also joined by eleven officials from the Thane Forest Department.
Photo: HT
M Maranko, regional deputy director, WCCB told HT that they waited for the train to arrive from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in which the woman was travelling with her seven-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter to avoid suspicion along 523 star tortoises.
¡°The accused had boarded the train at Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh. We arrested her, and ensured her children were sent back to Anantpur¡± he told HT. Three bags of concealed tortoises were seized from the woman and it is suspected that the smuggler might have sourced them from Andhra Pradesh.
Reportedly, this is by far the biggest seizure in Mumbai till date. However, the interrogation had just begun at the time of the incident and it is unclear if the smuggler was a carrier or a supplier. The source of these tortoises is still being questioned.
The reptiles are usually sold for Rs 800 or Rs 900 for a pair by the wholesalers or they are directly picked up from the habitat. Their pictures are then clicked and then sold online on various websites at Rs 3,800 or Rs 4,000 for a pair. They are then delivered by college boys to people who are willing to pay for these species, according to local media reports.