Chennai: What tumbled out of Mohamed Mohideen’s bags at Chennai airport on Sunday could well have made Customs officers mistake the passenger from Bangkok for a Santa Claus out to deliver goodies to a zoologist. Tucked away in his stroller bag were a dozen tailed kangaroo rats, three prairie dogs, five blue iguana lizards and a red squirrel.
Based on a tip that some endangered species were being smuggled from Bangkok, officials waited for the “suspicious passenger on board a Thai Airways flight”, and Mohideen, 28, happened to catch their attention for his nervousness and unusual body language as soon as he landed. At the exit, just when Mohideen was carting away his animal kingdom, customs officers flagged him down.
“He was evasive when we asked him about the purpose of his visit abroad,” said an officer. “We searched his stroller bag and found eight plastic containers and a small cardboard box. The containers were marked as chocolates, gift items and personal clothing.” Inside the containers were species of rodents and reptiles. Mohideen told the officers that a stranger had given him the bag outside Bangkok airport with instructions to hand it over outside Chennai airport to an unknown person who would identify him by his photograph.
Mohideen was made to wait outside the airport, the officers observing him from strategic points. When nobody came for more than 20 minutes, he was detained. He was later let off because these species are not listed under the Wildlife Protection Act or CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). “It is not a cognizable offence, but the man will be asked pay a penalty,” said a customs officer.
23/12/19 Times of India
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Based on a tip that some endangered species were being smuggled from Bangkok, officials waited for the “suspicious passenger on board a Thai Airways flight”, and Mohideen, 28, happened to catch their attention for his nervousness and unusual body language as soon as he landed. At the exit, just when Mohideen was carting away his animal kingdom, customs officers flagged him down.
“He was evasive when we asked him about the purpose of his visit abroad,” said an officer. “We searched his stroller bag and found eight plastic containers and a small cardboard box. The containers were marked as chocolates, gift items and personal clothing.” Inside the containers were species of rodents and reptiles. Mohideen told the officers that a stranger had given him the bag outside Bangkok airport with instructions to hand it over outside Chennai airport to an unknown person who would identify him by his photograph.
Mohideen was made to wait outside the airport, the officers observing him from strategic points. When nobody came for more than 20 minutes, he was detained. He was later let off because these species are not listed under the Wildlife Protection Act or CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). “It is not a cognizable offence, but the man will be asked pay a penalty,” said a customs officer.
23/12/19 Times of India
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