Nellore: A man smuggling rare star turtles has been nabbed by Special Enforcement Staff in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. Selva Kumar, the accused is a resident of Chennai was transporting 250 turtles to Tamil Nadu in Kanigiri RTC bus when he was nabbed during a check at Beevi Palam.
The accused was on duty as a Head Constable at Chennai Avadi Police Station, police said. The accused runs an aquarium in Chennai, where he exports various types of wildlife to states like Bengal and Karnataka. The turtles are worth around Rs 2 lakhs and were being moved from Chennai to Malaysia to be sold for between Rs 8-10 lakh.
The seized star turtles will be handed over to Venkatagiri Forest Department officials, Special Enforcement Police CI RUVS Prasad said. The Constable hoped to earn in an illegal way but the police caught him midway. The man who had to handcuff the criminals now appeared with handcuffs himself.
Also Read: Olive turtles spotted along Gahirmatha coast before the mass nesting
