As vigilance up in bigger airports, animal smuggling gangs jump to Andamans

For the first time in its history, Port Blair International Airport in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has reported a case of exotic species smuggling. Customs and wildlife officials arrested two Singaporean citizens, MI Muhammed Abdullah and Mohammed Alavudeen, upon their arrival from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Acting on intelligence, authorities discovered eight baby monkeys, identified as pig-tailed macaques and gibbons, concealed in their bags. The duo, originally from Kanniyakumari, was en route to Bengaluru, where the animals were to be delivered.

Wildlife officials from Andaman and Nicobar arrested the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act, sources from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) confirmed. The rescued animals, native to Southeast Asia, are currently under observation and will be re-exported to Malaysia. Both species are endangered and are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA).

Officials revealed that had the smugglers bypassed Customs at Port Blair, they could have easily transported the animals to Bengaluru, as domestic terminals do not have Customs checkpoints. This seizure is part of a growing trend in which organized smuggling rackets from Thailand and Malaysia are shifting operations away from Chennai and Bengaluru due to heightened vigilance by Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

Recent incidents highlight this shift. On February 5, a Chennai resident, Abdul Rahman Ahamed, was arrested at Mumbai airport after five baby Siamang gibbons were seized from his luggage upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur. Tragically, three of the monkeys had died during travel, while two remain in critical condition. On February 7, Jaipur airport Customs officials seized exotic snakes, lizards, spiders, and other reptiles from two passengers arriving from Bangkok. That same day, two red-shanked doucs, a rare primate species, were confiscated from a passenger employed as a carrier by a Tamil man in Bangkok.

Authorities are concerned about the rising trend of exotic species smuggling into Indian airports. Chennai Customs has formally requested WCCB to issue a red corner notice against two Tamil men believed to be key players in this illegal trade, operating from Thailand. Officials remain on high alert to curb further incidents of wildlife trafficking.