Patna: Bihar Police seized nearly 1,500 turtles on Monday in Gaya district and arrested two people, who were part of a gang smuggling rare turtles, an official said.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team nabbed the two men from near Barachatti in Gaya, about 100 km from here, he said.
There is huge demand in the international market for these rare species of turtles with distinct star marks on their shells.
India has banned the trade of turtles under the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act, but the huge premium and lax implementation of laws are increasingly luring smugglers to the illegal trade.
IANS
First Published: Monday, February 14, 2011, 20:51