Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport foil attempt to smuggle Agile Gibbons

Bengaluru: Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) intercepted an attempt to smuggle four Agile Gibbons from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, as per a release from Bengaluru Customs.

The suspects, identified as Mohammad Ansar and Syed Pasha, both residents of Bengaluru, were caught with the endangered primates concealed inside a trolley bag.

Agile Gibbons, native to Southeast Asia, are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which affords them strict protection against illegal trade.

Customs officials have seized the Gibbons and are investigating further.