Wildlife smuggling bid foiled at Chennai airport; man arrested

CHENNAI: Customs sleuths at Chennai airport foiled an attempt to smuggle in two monkeys and seven tortoises by an Indian male passenger who arrived from Bangkok on Wednesday.The suspect landed at Chennai airport around 11.55 pm.

Customs officers secured him based on intelligence. His checked-in trolley bag was examined, and officers stumbled upon two ventilated carry bags and a small cloth bag concealed beneath layers of confectionery items.On further scrutiny, the officers were shocked to find two live monkeys of different species hidden in the carry bags and seven tortoises tightly wrapped and taped inside the cloth bag.Since import of such wildlife without prior authorisation violates the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Customs Act, 1962, and the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regulations, the animals were safely deported back to Thailand.The passenger was arrested under relevant provisions of the Customs Act and Wildlife Protection Act. He was remanded in judicial custody.