Two Passengers Arrested At Bengaluru Airport For Attempting To Smuggle 40 Rare Animals Like Beaded Lizards & Tortoises

Customs officers at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport caught two men attempting to smuggle 40 wildlife animals in the city recently. The two men were returning from Kuala Lumpur when they were thwarted by Bengaluru Customs. They have been remanded to judicial custody for now.

Two Bengalureans Caught At The Airport For Smuggling 40 Animals

SIIB Officers of AP & ACC, B’luru Customs, arrested 2 Pax. on the night of 11th Nov’ 2024 for attempting to smuggle 40 wildlife animals into India like Tortoises, Beaded Lizards, Skinks, Iguanas, Albino Bat, Agile Gibbon, American Alligators. #IndianCustomsAtWork pic.twitter.com/17XIsy7w82

— Bengaluru Customs (@blrcustoms) November 18, 2024

Two Bengaluru residents returning from Malaysia have been booked and arrested for trying to smuggle 40 endangered and threatened species at the airport. Bengaluru Customs took to X (formerly Twitter) to share details about this smuggling attempt.

In the post, they mentioned that the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) arrested the passengers on November 11. They were trying to smuggle wildlife animals like tortoises, beaded lizards, skinks, iguanas, albino bats, agile gibbons, and American alligators.

According to the Deccan Herald, the two men, both in their early 30s, arrived at the Bengaluru Airport at 11 PM on Malaysia Airlines flight MH192 from Kuala Lumpur. The officials received a tip about the smuggling and acted on it. The SIIB intercepted the bags and found bags filled with distressed animals.

During the questioning, the men revealed that while they were in Malaysia, someone handed them the bags, covered their travel costs, and promised to pay them ₹30,000-40,000 per bag as soon as they landed in India. As per the latest update, the animals were returned to Malaysia the next day. They were handed over to the Malaysian forest officials there.

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Surge Noted In Smuggling Attempts At The Bengaluru Airport

While talking to the Deccan Herald, a customs official mentioned that they have noticed a spike in similar smuggling attempts at the Bengaluru Airport recently. This new case has alerted the officials and they are now investigating the matter further. As for now, the two men have been booked under Section 135 of the Customs Act, 1962, and Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They are scheduled to appear before a magistrate in seven days.

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Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)