Chennai: After yet another young man from Chennai was caught trying to smuggle star tortoises to Malaysia – a bid eerily similar to the one foiled last Thursday – the Forest Department has decided to get to the bottom of it. Suspecting the hand of a larger gang smuggling these tortoises to Malaysia and beyond, they have begun interrogating the arrested men to establish if there is any link.
“We are getting to the root of it. We are confident that we will trace them and stop this racket within 15 days,” said a forest department official, involved in the investigation.
On Wednesday, Saddam Hussain (25), a resident of Tondiarpet was scheduled to fly on a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur, departing at 11.30 AM.
While checking his baggage in, a CISF staff noticed small objects moving inside and after alerting Customs officers found 41 star tortoises inside. An earlier smuggling bid on July 2, when 64 tortoises were found in a passenger’s luggage was also on the same airline to the same destination.
09/07/15 New Indian Express
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“We are getting to the root of it. We are confident that we will trace them and stop this racket within 15 days,” said a forest department official, involved in the investigation.
On Wednesday, Saddam Hussain (25), a resident of Tondiarpet was scheduled to fly on a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur, departing at 11.30 AM.
While checking his baggage in, a CISF staff noticed small objects moving inside and after alerting Customs officers found 41 star tortoises inside. An earlier smuggling bid on July 2, when 64 tortoises were found in a passenger’s luggage was also on the same airline to the same destination.
09/07/15 New Indian Express
