Chennai Customs Stop Turtle Smuggling from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 1, 2024: The Customs Department and the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) successfully stopped attempts to smuggle turtles and tortoises into and out of India. According to Chennai Customs officials, on September 27, 2024, the AIU seized 4,967 red-eared slider turtles and 19 albino red-eared slider turtles from two passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur. Both passengers and the receiver were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.
In a post on X, the customs department stated, “On 27.09.2024, Air Intelligence Unit, Chennai seized 4967 Nos. of Red Eared Slider Turtle & 19 Nos. of Albino Red Eared Slider Turtle from two pax. who arrived from Kuala Lumpur. Both passengers & receiver were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.”
The endangered wildlife was attempted to be smuggled into India in violation of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In another incident, on August 18, the Chennai AIU team intercepted three passengers trying to smuggle Indian star tortoises out of the country. Upon examining their baggage, officials found around 778 tortoises, which are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The three passengers were arrested.
The customs department also reported that on August 10, they seized multiple species of exotic animals from a passenger arriving from Bangkok.
Doubts Revealed
Chennai Customs -: Chennai Customs is a government department in Chennai, India, that checks goods and people coming into the country to make sure they are not bringing anything illegal.
Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) -: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) is a special team that works at airports to catch people who are trying to bring illegal things into the country.
smuggle -: Smuggling means secretly bringing things into or out of a country without permission, usually because those things are illegal or restricted.
Kuala Lumpur -: Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia.
Bangkok -: Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand, another country in Southeast Asia.
red-eared slider turtles -: Red-eared slider turtles are a type of turtle that have a red mark near their ears. They are often kept as pets.
albino -: Albino means that an animal or person has very light skin, hair, and eyes because they lack a pigment called melanin.
Indian star tortoises -: Indian star tortoises are a type of tortoise found in India. They have star-like patterns on their shells.
exotic animals -: Exotic animals are animals that are not commonly found in a particular area and are often rare or unusual.