CHENNAI: An Aldabra giant tortoise, weighing more than 70 kg, is missing from the Madras Crocodile Bank. Aldabra is one of the largest tortoise species and they have longest life span.
Police said that there were four such tortoises in the Madras Crocodile Bank but one went missing in November and the staff lodged a complaint the next day. However the issue came to light only on Wednesday.
Speaking to Express a senior police officer said that the tortoise is worth more than Rs 15 lakh in the international market and is hunted for flesh, shell and blood. Police suspect that the accused must have stolen the tortoise from a blindspot.
“The Madras Crocodile Bank had kept the tortoise in a three-foot compound enclosure. However the CCTV cameras in the roads and other adjacent places are being combed through,” said a police officer.
Mamallapuram police are also checking call records of the staff and visitors from the third week of November.