DRI seizes 532 star tortoises, 9040 kg of red sandalwood from Mumbai

The star tortoises were seized on Thursday while the sandalwood was seized from Nhava Sheva Port on Wednesday.

Image Courtesy: ANI

The Mumbai unit of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday seized 523 Star tortoises from a passenger at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Railway station. 

The operation was a joint effort of  DRI and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau & Forest Department. The passenger has been arrested. 

DRI on Wednesday seized 9040 kg of red sandalwood logs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as Nhava Sheva Port. 

The logs were concealed with draw-textured yarn of polyester and rice bags which were illegally exported out of India. One person was arrested. 

This is not the first time that DRI seized an endangered species. 

Earlier on September 3rd, DRI officials seized around 8,000 kgs of shark fins from Mumbai and Gujarat which were to be exported illegally to China and Hong Kong. 

DRI in this effort neutralised a smuggling network engaged in wildlife crime and arrested four persons involved in the operation. 

Last month on August 5th, DRI officers seized 1125 endangered Indian star tortoise from Vizag Railway station in Andhra Pradesh. The officials had arrested three people who were carrying the tortoises which were to be exported to Bangladesh. 

The Indian Star Tortoises are protected under ‘CITES’ - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. They are declared ‘vulnerable’ by ‘IUCN’ – International Union for Conservation of Nature and are listed in Schedule IV to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The endangered species is prohibited for export under Foreign Trade Policy and the same are liable for confiscation under Customs Act,1962.