Customs crack down on wildlife smuggling at Bengaluru airport

In another major operation against international wildlife trafficking, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs department at Kempegowda International Airport arrested four individuals on Wednesday for attempting to smuggle exotic birds, reptiles, and mammals into India. This marks the second such seizure in just four days. 

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The arrested individuals are Manoj Kumar Rengaraj, Jayaraman Ramaraj, Anandan Kumaravel and Khamar Tej who were intercepted upon their arrival from Bangkok. Officials revealed that Manoj and Jayaraman are from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, Anandan is from Bengaluru’s J. P. Nagar and Khamar Taj from Devanahalli. 

Investigations found that they were acting, receiving payments of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per trip along with free food and accommodation. The smuggled animals were hidden inside check-in baggage, packed in cages. The accused were instructed to hand over the baggage to handlers waiting outside the airport, using a code word for identification.  

Among the rescued wildlife were red-whiskered bulbuls, king bird-of-paradise, Sulawesi myna, albino pygmy dormouse, black-and-red broadbill, three iguanas, and four Indochinese box turtles. Authorities believe the animals were destined for private collectors and zoo keepers. 

This operation comes shortly after another smuggling attempt on Monday, where AIU officials detained a 24-year-old passenger attempting to bring four siamangs and two northern pig-tailed macaques from Malaysia.  

With international wildlife smuggling networks increasingly using human carriers to transport rare and endangered species into India, authorities have strengthened surveillance at Bengaluru airport. Further investigations are ongoing.