52 Chameleons, 4 African monkeys seized at Chennai airport; smuggler held

CHENNAI: The Customs officials at Chennai International Airport seized 52 rare species of chameleons and 4 African monkeys smuggled from Malaysia to Chennai.

A Malaysian woman was arrested for smuggling, along with a Chennai man who came to purchase the animals.

The chameleons and monkeys were airlifted back to Malaysia to prevent the potential spread of foreign pathogens in India.

Both the smuggler and the buyer were subsequently arrested and taken to jail after being presented in customs court.

A private passenger plane from Kuala Lumpur arrived at Chennai International Airport on October 13.

Most of the passengers were cleared by customs, but a female traveler who came as a tourist raised suspicion due to two large plastic baskets she was carrying. Upon questioning, her responses raised further doubts, leading customs officials to investigate.

However, customs officials discovered 52 living African chameleons called Green iguana in those baskets.

They also discovered that there were 4 African black monkeys called 'Siamang Gibbon.'

The officials notified the Union Wildlife Protection Crime Branch in Besant Nagar for further investigation. The officers arrived to conduct further investigations, discovering that a local man was waiting outside to buy the animals.

As these creatures can carry diseases that threaten local wildlife and human health, the customs officials decided to send them back on the same flight as they arrived.

They also asked to collect the expense from the smuggler and the man who had come to buy it.

Following the, these creatures were sent back to Malaysia on a passenger flight from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur this morning