3,000 exotic turtles seized at Bengaluru airport, sent back to Malaysia

Bengaluru: About 3,000 red-eared slider turtles were seized at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Tuesday night.

The suspects, Gopinath Manivelan and Sudhakar Govindaswamy, flew in from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aboard IndiGo 6E 1038, and were caught at the airport at 10.59 pm.

Both Manivelan and Govindaswamy, carrying 1,672 and 1,280 turtles, respectively, did not have a licence, CITES or AQ permit, or a no-objection certificate from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade to be travelling with the reptile species.

All 2,952 turtles were returned to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday afternoon, and the suspects were released after filing a Wildlife Offence Report. "No FIRs are filed in these cases as the customs only looks at it from the wildlife angle,” an insider told DH.

The turtles have gained popularity in Bengaluru. “Almost one in 10 houses have them as pets. Many relate the animal with spiritual beliefs like Feng Shui and Vaastu. So, there’s a rising demand,” he said. The demand is driving more locals to smuggle the reptile species. “Many such consignments go unnoticed at KIA on a weekly basis." 

The turtles, usually around 4 to 10 inches in length, were smuggled inside boxes of chocolate cereal. A single turtle retails for approximately Rs 1,000 to 2,000.

Last week, Mansoor Chetlu, a city-based social rights activist, filed a complaint with the DG&IG of Karnataka, raising concerns about an alleged large-scale wildlife smuggling racket at the KIA. 

"Venomous snakes were smuggled into the city earlier this month. This is not just a wildlife concern, but a major issue of passenger security. The city police should take this seriously and file FIRs,” he said. He is yet to receive a response from the police chief.