As many as 45 tortoises suspectedly being carried for smuggling were seized by forest department at a bus stand in the city.
Acting on a tip-off that the tortoises were being smuggled from Dewas, a team of forest department seized 45 fresh water small-size tortoises from a bag kept at the Navlakha bus stand last evening, chief conservator of forests, Indore zone, R R Okhandiyar said today.
However, no person was found near the bag in which the tortoises were stuffed, he said.
It was suspected that someone might have dumped the bag at the bus stand after getting a whiff that forest officials were around, he said, adding that search for the culprit was on.
The forest official said that the seizure of tortoises in such a large number raised suspicion that the reptiles were being taken for smuggling.
Meanwhile, the forest department has kept the tortoises at a local zoo.
