CHENNAI: Chennai Customs seized 5,193 red-eared slider turtles at the city airport on Thursday from the baggage of two passengers who arrived from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Indigo Airlines flight 6E 1032 on Tuesday.
According to an official release, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers intercepted the two Indian passengers, Ramesh and Thamim Ansari, based on specific intelligence. The passengers were suspected of smuggling exotic wildlife species into India.
An examination of their baggage revealed 5,193 red-eared slider turtles. Native to the USA and Mexico, turtles are in high demand in the illegal pet trade and are being smuggled from Malaysia.
Following advice from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau authorities, Customs said the turtles were fed and re-exported to Malaysia on the same day.
In a swift follow-up operation, Air Customs officers apprehended two individuals waiting to receive the smuggled turtles.
All four were arrested under the Customs Act and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and remanded to judicial custody. The red-eared slider turtle is identified as an invasive species in India and other countries.
On September 27, Chennai Customs seized 4,986 red-eared slider turtles from two passengers from Malaysia. A similar case was busted in April too, with the seizure of 5,000 turtles.