The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed that a total of six slaughtered green turtle carcasses were found on an uninhabited island in Baa Atoll, adding that all those involved belong to Baa Atoll Kendhoo.

"When the police attended the scene the group of men were seen cooking and processing turtle meat on a large scale. All the individuals involved in this incident belong to B. Kendhoo island," a tweet by the agency revealed.

They further noted that the agency and Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office staff also attended the scene and assisted the police in collecting evidence and other necessary information. The turtle carcasses were confiscated and the individuals involved in the poaching incident were released after taking their statements, as the legal process continues until further actions can be taken.

Turtle trade and consumption has been banned in the Maldives since 2016, under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Number 4/93) Section (A). Efforts to legally protect sea turtles began earlier in 1995 with a Presidential Decree banning catching and killing of any species of sea turtle in Maldives.