Customs officials at the Bengaluru airport on Tuesday, August 23, rescued 234 wild animals, including pythons, chameleons, iguanas, turtles, alligators, and a baby kangaroo, and arrested a man in connection with the incident. Customs officials said that unfortunately, the baby kangaroo didn’t survive. The accused, who arrived from Bangkok on Monday, was detained based on profiling of passengers, a press note from the Customs department said.
"The baby kangaroo recovered from the accused died. We couldn't save him," an official said. The accused was held when he was crossing the green channel and heading towards the exit gate of the international arrival area. Upon inspection, the passenger was found to be carrying wild animals concealed in a trolley bag. Subsequently, an unclaimed bag from the same flight was discovered which also contained wild animals.
In total, 234 wild animals, including pythons, chameleons, iguanas, turtles, alligators and a baby kangaroo, were found concealed in the two trolley bags. Some of these animals are listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The accused has been placed under arrest in accordance with Section 104 of the Customs Act, and the rescued wild animals have been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act.
#IndianCustomsAtWork Bengaluru Air Customs arrested a pax who arrived from Bangkok and was attempting to exit through green channel. Among the smuggled 234 wild animals in two trolley bags was a dead joey. pic.twitter.com/QMWx2gIECx
— Bengaluru Customs (@blrcustoms) August 22, 2023
#IndianCustomsAtWork Wild life case booked by Bengaluru Air Customs. pic.twitter.com/nDsu7ISLnC
— Bengaluru Customs (@blrcustoms) August 22, 2023