351 baby turtles rescued while being smuggled, three arrested in Odisha

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted a vehicle at Munguli toll gate and rescued 351 baby turtles which were being smuggled from West Bengal to Bengaluru.

Bhubaneswar: A total of 351 baby Indian tent turtles have been rescued in Odisha’s Cuttack district while they were being smuggled, a DRI statement said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted a vehicle at Munguli toll gate and rescued 351 baby turtles which were being smuggled from West Bengal to Bengaluru, it said.

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“Three persons from West Bengal involved in the illegal trade have been arrested while a car used to transport the turtles from West Bengal to Bangalore in Karnataka via road was also seized,” Odisha Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Susanta Nanda posted on X.

The Indian tent turtle is listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and is thereby provided the highest degree of protection, the statement said.

The live turtles were handed over to the forest officials and the arrested persons to the state authorities for further action under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, it said.