Wildlife Smuggling Racket Uncovered at Bengaluru Airport

Fast Summary

• Customs officials caught a 20-year-old passenger, Shafiqur Rahman Sirajuddin, attempting to smuggle 40 wild animals and reptiles concealed in check-in baggage at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport.
• The animals included:

– Four Argentine black and white tegus
– Twenty-seven green iguanas
– One corn snake
– Two meerkats
– Two bearded dragons
– One Indonesian blue-tongued skink
– Three western basilisks.

• The cargo was hidden in tissue papers and diapers inside the bags.
• Investigations revealed Sirajuddin was allegedly acting as a mule for an animal smuggling network; his contact escaped after he was detained.
• This marks the third wildlife trafficking incident at the airport in August:

– August 4: A man intercepted with Indian star tortoises before departure to Kuala Lumpur.
– August 6: Officials found check-in baggage containing nearly 896 Indian star tortoises en route to kuala Lumpur.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The repeated attempts at wildlife trafficking through Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport raise meaningful concerns about India’s position within global smuggling networks for exotic fauna. While swift action by customs officials prevented these incidents, the frequency underscores vulnerabilities in detecting such crimes earlier.Trafficking endangered species not only violates environmental laws but also contributes to biodiversity loss and risks spreading zoonotic diseases.

India needs robust enforcement mechanisms paired with international collaboration to curb illegal wildlife trade effectively. law enforcement agencies may benefit from coordinating more closely with other nations where trafficked species originate or are destined, bolstering intelligence-sharing efforts and tracking networks systematically.

Moreover, stricter penalties for smugglers-including enhanced monitoring of suspected airports-can act as deterrents against recurring crimes like these.

Read more: click here