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As many as 700 tortoises, were seized from Venkatapuram village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, where they were kept ready for transportation to neighbouring states, forest officials said today.
According to Kykaluru Forest Range Officer, A Sunil Kumar, the tortoises were found stuffed in gunny bags near bushes on a private plot in Kalidindi Mandal yesterday, awaiting to be transported.
However, officials could not catch the alleged smugglers as they had fled the spot before the forest team arrived there.
The seized tortoises were later released into Kolleru lake at Atapaka village.
Illegal transport of tortoises is rampant in the district as over 2,000 tortoises were seized in a similar manner last year. Forest officials said there is a huge demand for tortoises in Odisha and West Bengal.