Singapore: An Indian national who smuggled 1,092 endangered tortoises worth $ 30,800 into Singapore has been sentenced to eight weeks in jail, reports said on August 3.

Chinnamotur Ashokavardhanan was caught at Singapore's airport on July 31 after arriving from Chennai with four pieces of luggage containing the star tortoises.

The 'Straits Times' newspaper said that the 27-year-old was also ordered to pay the cost of taking care of the tortoises and sending them back to India later this month.

Star tortoises, which have distinct patterned black and yellow stars, are found in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

More than 2,400 star tortoises have been seized at the airport this year, all were brought smuggled in by Indian nationals.

Under Singapore law, any person or a company caught trafficking endangered species faces a maximum $ 2,850 fine and a year in jail.