CHENNAI: Customs officials at Chennai international airport on Friday seized 4986 red eared slider turtles from two passengers who arrived from Malaysia, an official release issued on Tuesday said. The person assigned to receive them outside the airport was also arrested, the release said.
According to the release, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) received specific intelligence of passengers smuggling in exotic species from Malaysia. They kept vigil and intercepted two passengers who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on the Indigo Airlines flight 6E1032.
Examination of their checked-in baggage revealed the presence of 4967 green turtles and 19 pale/yellow turtles.
Authorities from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) were called to the airport to examine the turtles. They were identified as red eared slider turtles and Albino red eared slider turtles respectively.
According to publicly available information, these turtles are not protected under India’s Wildlife Prevention Act or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
These turtles are globally acknowledged as an invasive species as they pose a threat to local turtles by competing with them for food and nesting sites.
A similar consignment of 5,000 red eared slider turtles had been seized at the Chennai airport on April 20. On April 12, seizure of 484 red eared slider turtles from a passenger Mohamed Mubeen had led to the arrest of S Ravikumar, a suspended Tamil Nadu police constable, who was later identified as the alleged lynchpin of a global exotic species trafficking trade.