Nabarangpur, June 15: Forest officials on Saturday intercepted four persons for allegedly transposting rare turtles from Gatamunda to Umerkote in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.
The officials also rescued 176 live turtles and seized two motorcyles from their possession. The arrested smugglers have been identified as the residents of Kalahandi’s Gatamunda and Sargiguda, said sources.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest and wildlife officials intervened and saved nearly 200 kilograms of turtles. The rescued animals are now safe at Jharigaon Central Nursery, while the smugglers have been detained by the authorities.
