Bengaluru Customs Seize 2,547 Smuggled Red-Eared Slider Turtles from Singapore

Swift Summary

• Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, apprehended a 26-year-old man carrying 2,547 red-eared slider turtles in his check-in bag.
• The accused, identified as Adiakkalasamy Vadivel from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, landed in Bengaluru from Singapore on Saturday.
• Of the turtles smuggled,517 were found dead due to suffocation.
• Vadivel claimed he was working for an international wild animal smuggling racket and was instructed to hand over the bag to someone outside the airport.
• Smuggling of live animals violates India’s Export-Import (EXIM) policy and is punishable under the Customs act of 1962.
• Officials are investigating how Singapore Customs were bypassed during this operation.
• rescued animals will be deported back to Singapore after obtaining proper certification. Dead turtles will be disposed of according to standard protocols.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The incident highlights India’s ongoing struggle against wildlife trafficking networks exploiting international transit routes. While law enforcement at Kempegowda International Airport successfully intercepted this case of smuggling endangered species-red-eared slider turtles-the suffering endured by hundreds of these animals underlines broader concerns about cruelty and loss associated with illegal fauna trade.

This case also underscores gaps in cross-border customs monitoring systems since such high-volume animal trafficking managed to evade scrutiny in Singapore before reaching Indian territory. Strengthening collaboration between countries for intelligence sharing may reduce vulnerabilities in wildlife smuggling operations.

with enforcement agencies now pursuing legal action and initiating repatriation procedures for surviving animals, this case serves as a reminder that wildlife crime involves not only violations of laws but ethical questions about humanity’s role as custodians of biodiversity.

Read more: [Source Link]