The tortoises were found stuffed in check-in baggage bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Credit: KIA
Bengaluru: Thirty Indian star tortoises, a threatened species, were rescued from a smuggling attempt at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The tortoises were found stuffed in check-in baggage bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ashik Ali Shahul Hameed, 29, from Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs before boarding Batik Air flight OD-242. He had used adhesive to restrict the tortoises’ movement and concealed them in socks and tobacco pouches.
As the tortoises were alive, he was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Customs Act.
“This person is just the carrier. We are looking for those behind the operation,” said a source in the Forest Department told DH. All 30 tortoises were released into the wild after examination.
While KIA has seen a rise in exotic wildlife smuggling cases in recent years, export of native species is less common.
Past incidents
A similar attempt to smuggle 60 Indian star tortoises to Bangkok was foiled in 2022.
Last week, three gibbons smuggled in from Thailand died of asphyxiation at KIA.
Forest officials will meet customs officers this week to establish stronger anti-smuggling protocols.