CHENNAI: For the first time in the airport’s history, Customs and wildlife officials at the Port Blair international airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands registered a case of exotic species smuggling against two Singapore citizens who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, sources said.
Based on intelligence, eight baby monkeys identified as pig-tailed macaque and gibbons were recovered from the bags of brothers MI Muhammed Abdullah and Mohammed Alavudeen who had travelled on the Air Asia flight AK55 . Originally from Kanniyakumari, the accused were on their way to Bengaluru, where the animals were to be delivered, the sources said.
They were arrested by wildlife officials of Andaman and Nicobar under the Wildlife Protection Act, sources from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) said. The animals, which are native to Southeast Asian countries, have been rescued and are under observation. The animals will be re-exported back to Malaysia, an official said.
Both the macaque and gibbon are endangered species listed in the appendixes of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and safeguarded under the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA).
If the smugglers had evaded Customs at Port Blair, they might have had an easy pass to Bengaluru, as Customs does not have a presence in domestic terminals, sources said, explaining the modus operandi.
The Port Blair seizure of exotic species is the latest indication that the organised smuggling racket operating from Thailand and Malaysia is moving away from Chennai and Bengaluru, where Customs and DRI strengthened vigilance.
Earlier, such seizures were made for the first time in airports like Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. The Tamil Nadu link to these seizures is also being closely monitored, official sources said.
On February 5, Abdul Rahman Ahamed, a 27-year-old from Chennai was arrested by Customs officials at Mumbai airport after five baby Siamang gibbons were seized from his bag. He had arrived from Kuala Lumpur on the Malaysian Airlines flight. Three of the baby monkeys had died during travel, while two remain critical.
On February 7, Customs officials at Jaipur airport seized exotic snakes, lizards, spiders and other reptiles from two passengers who landed from Bangkok. On the same day, two red-shanked doucs, a primate native to Southeast Asian countries, were seized from a youngster who landed from Bangkok. He was employed as a carrier by a Tamil man from Bangkok. Officials are worried about the trend of smuggling exotic species into airports across India.
Chennai Customs has written to WCCB seeking a red corner notice against two Tamil men who are alleged kingpins of this trade and operating from Thailand, sources said.
Monkeying with rules
Recent seizures of Exotic species from Thailand and Malaysia
February 8, Port Blair: Four gibbons and four macaques seized from two passengers from Kuala Lumpur
February 7, Jaipur: Exotic snakes, iguana, squirrel and tarantula seized from two passengers from Bangkok
February 6, Kolkata: Two red-shanked douc seized from one passenger from Bangkok