CHENNAI: A 50-year-old man from Tamil Nadu was detained by Malaysian authorities at the Kuala Lumpur airport for ‘attempting’ to traffic 14 species exotic to Tiruchy from Malaysia.
According to official information shared by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia (Jabatan PERHILITAN), the passenger was carrying animals, identified as African spurred tortoises (3), Sulawesi Forest Turtles (4) and Harlequin Monitor Lizards (7), in his check-in baggage.
Malaysian authorities have not yet officially revealed the identity of the passenger.
However, official sources in India said that he was identified as Abdul Jaffer Mohideen Abdul Kadar, a native of Panboli village of Tenkasi district, who was set to travel on the Batik Air flight OD 223 from Kuala Lumpur to Tiruchy.
Interrogation by the Malaysian authorities reportedly found that the passenger failed to show valid documents from the Department of Wildlife permitting him to export the wildlife out of Malaysia. All the animals were seized.
The value of the seizure in the case is estimated at RM13,000.00, which is around Rs 2.65 lakh, in the illegal exotic species market.
The Malaysian agency said that exporting protected wildlife species out of Malaysia without valid documents is an ‘offence’ under their laws. It also warned of strict action against others plotting such crimes.
The seizure comes around two months after a multi-agency team from India drawn from CBI, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) met with Malaysian authorities to discuss the constant trafficking of wildlife species from south-east Asian countries to India, of which Tamil Nadu has been identified as a 'hotspot'.
Malaysian authorities had then resolved to keep a close watch on attempts to traffic wildlife to India. Multiple such exotic smuggling bids have been foiled by Customs authorities at Tiruchy, Chennai and Bengaluru airports in the last few years.