Wednesday, July 27 2005 12:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Nine hundred and eighty nine star tortoises, valued at nearly Rs 10 lakh in the international market, were seized from a Singapore bound passenger early this morning, a senior customs official said today (July 27, 2005).

Customs Commissioner, C Rajan, told reporters here that customs officials, on suspicion, intercepted the passenger after he had checked in. A search of his baggage, recalled from the baggage make up area, revealed the star tortoises hidden inside, they said.

When questioned, the passenger told officials that he was a businessman dealing in textiles. He was detained and the tortoises were in the process of being sent to the Forest Department, Rajan said.

He said that star tortoises, available in and around the city at between Rs 80 and 100, fetched ten times that amount in Singapore.

A few years ago, authorities had effected several seizures, following which such incidents had virtually stopped.