Two Indians caught trying to smuggle 870 tortoises

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Two men were arrested at a southern Indian airport while trying to smuggle 870 endangered star tortoises on to a flight to Malaysia, officials said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, anti-smuggling officials arrested the Indian men at Chennai's international airport late on Sunday, they said.

The tortoises, packed in two suitcases, ranged from inch-long babies to adolescents about the size of a computer mouse, an official from the local wildlife department said.

The tortoises are eaten in parts of Southeast Asia.

They are also popular as pets and the consignment could be worth up to $15,000 on the black market, the official, who did not want to be identified, said.

Star tortoises are protected under Indian wildlife laws, which make it an offence to trade or transport them illegally. Anyone found guilty can be jailed for up to three years or fined or both.

In April, customs officials in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, found more than 400 star tortoises in an Indian man's cabin luggage. The man was deported and the surviving tortoises returned to India.