DHAKA STOPS 480 TORTOISES BOUND FOR MALAYSIA

NEW DELHI, May 25 (Bernama) -- An Indian national, suspected to be linked to
a regional wildlife smuggling racket, was held at Dhaka airport on Monday for
attempting to smuggle out 480 rare "star tortoises" to Malaysia.

Peer Mohammad, of Tamil Nadu, was held at the Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport while he was about to check in at the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) counter
with a heavy baggage, reported the Dhaka-based Daily Star.

"He had declared his baggage to be full of food items and successfully got
across the scanning gate.

"But as the luggage felt heavier, we asked him to open it and found the live
tortoises. He was to take the Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines flight,"
airport detective Mostafa Jamal told the media.

During investigation, police also recovered US$102 (RM357), RM20 and 100
Baht (RM10) plus five foreign mobile phone SIM cards from the 42-year-old
suspect, who arrived in Dhaka from Bangkok on May 22.


The suspect revealed to Bangladeshi investigators that he had been involved
in smuggling tortoises and other wildlife from India, which had imposed a ban on
trafficking of protect species.

Investigators are now trying to establish whether the Indian trafficker had
obtained the exotic species from India or Bangladesh.

The seized tortoises would be returned to the wildlife and nature
conservation division of the Forest Department, reported the Daily Star.

-- BERNAMA



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