NEW DELHI: An international smuggling syndicate of animal skins and sophisticated firearms was allegedly busted following raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP), in a joint operation by the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Sunday with the wildlife department.
The seizure follows the detainment of a foreigner and two accomplices at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
"Acting on intelligence, the DRI officers intercepted three passengers, including a Slovenian national and two Indian arms suppliers, at IGI airport on Saturday. They were travelling by Turkish Airlines from Slovenia via Istanbul carrying 25 illegally imported weapons," a DRI spokesperson said.
The passengers, he said, had lied to customs about the quality and value of firearms they were importing, and tried to clear them by misusing the scheme and import policy meant for renowned shooters.
Subsequently, the joint teams searched the premises of the two Indian arms suppliers in Delhi and Meerut, in UP. More than 100 imported firearms made in Italy, Austria and Germany were recovered, the spokesperson said.
"Over two lakh cartridges, hides of leopard, black buck and sambar; skulls, horns and meat of various endangered animals; expensive cameras and thermal imaging binoculars were also seized from the premises of these individuals who belong to an international smuggling syndicate," he said. He added that cash amounting to Rs 1 crore was also seized.
One of the suspects is believed to have recently killed a leopard near Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett National Park wildlife sanctuary.
Animal skin and body parts find a lucrative market in the west and China, where animal meat is used for aphrodisiac preparations. The sophisticated firearms find an Indian market among those engaged in poaching endangered species, the spokesperson said.
DRI was also trying to find the kingpin of the international syndicate and ascertain for how long it had been functioning.