Based on a tip-off, forest department officials from Chennai intercepted two cars in Minjur and a search led to the seizure of 10 bags of polychaete worms. Investigation revealed that the duo was smuggling the worms to Andhra Pradesh to sell them to fishermen there. 

The worms are harvested illegally from sand dunes that appear in Pulicat lake during summer and are smuggled to Andhra Pradesh to prawn farms as feed, said forest officials. 

The smugglers, identified as Kotteswaran (32) of Sathyavedu and Saibaba (33) of Kodhaipatnam, were handed over to Gummidipoondi forest officials. 

The duo was remanded in judicial custody.