CHENNAI: A Tamil Nadu special police cop has been arrested for being involved in smuggling of wildlife species, after customs officials seized 484 red eared slider turtles and nine African spurred tortoise from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok on April 12 at Chennai Airport.
The cop, S Ravikumar, was to recieve the consignment being smuggled by Mohamed Mubee, a resident of Pattukottai, who was arrested the same day.
According to a customs department release, Ravikumar is a habitual offender and had been arrested for illegal possession, transportation and trading of Indian star tortoise (geochelone elegans) in February 2022 by the Andhra police special enforcement bureau. The animals were imported in contravention of the Customs Act, 1962, and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.