Duo held with 210 star tortoises at airport

According to them, two passengers Safur Ali (33) and Mohamed Thamim Ansari (27) were caught carrying the star tortoises and were planning to board the night flight of Thai Air Asia number 154.

The passengers were stopped by the officials along with their luggage for examination.

During examination, sweet boxes were found along with other food items kept inside their two trolley suitcases.

The sweet boxes were stuffed with chocolates, below which the tortoises were hidden in plastic boxes with holes.

“The holes in the plastic boxes facilitated breathing for the tortoises. There were 130 tortoises in one suitcase while the others had 80 tortoises,” official noted. A press release from the Customs department said as export of start tortoises is prohibited under Wildlife Protection Act, the 210 tortoises were seized under Customs act and later handed over to the forest officials for further action.

The Indian star tortoises (Geochelone Elegans) is protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act and Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species.

These are traded for food, used in traditional medicines and also kept as exotic pets. Star tortoises are in great demand in South East Asian countries.

They also command premium prices in international markets, particularly countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, where consumer demand is growing steadily among middle class.