Dhaka, Oct. 1 -- Authorities at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have seized 925 turtles being smuggled to Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur in two pieces of luggage.

The seizure took place around 6:30am on Tuesday at the departure terminal, said Inspector Abdullah As Sadiq of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit.

The passenger, identified as Mohammad Shaukat Ali Bhuiyan, 54, was booked on a US-Bangla Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Inspector Sadiq said security staff detected turtle-like objects while scanning Bhuiyan's luggage. When he was called for questioning, the passenger fled.

Officials from the Forest Department's Wildlife Crime Control Unit and the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Departmentthen then conducted a joint search...