DRI cracks down on wildlife trafficking, 7 held at Bengaluru airport

According to the DRI, initially, on January 22, three people who came from Bangkok, Thailand, were arrested at the airport based on a tip-off that they were smuggling animals

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru, arrested seven persons, including a woman, in a crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking at the Kempegowda International Airport, officials said on Sunday.

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According to the DRI, initially, on January 22, three people who came from Bangkok, Thailand, were arrested at the airport based on a tip-off that they were smuggling animals. Their interrogation resulted in the arrest of four more people. A total of 18 animals, four primates and 14 reptiles were found hidden in boxes in their baggage, the DRI said.

“Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers on January 22 intercepted three passengers, including a lady passenger, who had arrived from Bangkok at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. Examination of their checked-in baggage resulted in the recovery of non-indigenous 18 animals (four primates and 14 reptiles) with the assistance of Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) officials,” stated the DRI.

The recovered animals include rare and threatened species like the Yellow and Green Anaconda, Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot, Nile Monitor, Red Foot Tortoise, Iguanas, Ball Pythons, Alligator Gar, Yaki Monkey, Veiled Chameleon, Racoon Dog, White Headed Piones, etc., which were handed over to Bannerghatta Biological Park, according to the DRI.

The import of wild animals, including their parts and products, as defined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, is prohibited, and those species which are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are subject to the provisions of CITES, the DRI said.

The animals were handed over to the Karnataka forest department and are known to be safe. After interrogation of the suspects, the DRI team also raided a farmhouse under Bengaluru limits and found 139 animals belonging to 48 different species, including 34 CITES-listed species that had been smuggled from overseas.

“Those in possession of these animals neither had any documents of the wildlife items nor any filings under Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (Wildlife Division), Voluntary Disclosure Scheme till its extended deadline of March 2021 were available,” the statement further read.

But, evidence of financial transactions to source non-indigenous wildlife through the route of smuggling, transactions on WhatsApp, and other social media platforms have been unearthed, it added.