Malkangiri: Forest officials Wednesday seized nearly 500 turtles and arrested four smugglers near Motu-Chintur road in bordering Andhra Pradesh under Kalimela block of Malkangiri district.
Acting on a tip-off, officers of Motu Forest range intercepted two pick-up vans.
When asked, the drivers told the forest officials that they were transporting fertilizers. The forest officials, however, grew suspicious and conducted a search of the vehicles. They found at least 500 live turtles stashed in the containers loaded on the vehicles.
Also Read: Anti-Maoist posters surface in villages of Niyamgiri hills
The turtles were being smuggled from Andhra Pradesh to Odisha, it was learnt.
The seized turtles and the vehicles have been kept at the Forest Department’s MV 79 office premises.
Investigation is underway, said forest officer Rashmiranjan Swain.
PNN
