Chennai, Jun 19 (PTI) Monkeys and tortoises attempted to be smuggled into the country by an air passenger were recovered here and the man arrested, the Customs Department said on Thursday.

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Chennai Customs intercepted an Indian male passenger who had arrived from Bangkok late on June 18 on suspicion of smuggling wildlife, an official release here said.

Upon arrival, his checked-in baggage was retrieved for examination.

"Upon opening the trolley bag, officers found two ventilated carry bags and a small cloth bag concealed under layers of confectionery items. On closer inspection, movements were noticed inside the ventilated bags. Further scrutiny revealed two live monkeys of different species each hidden in a separate carry bag and seven tortoises wrapped inside the taped cloth bag," it said.

"Import of such wildlife without valid authorisation is prohibited under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Customs Act, 1962, and the CITES regulations governing international trade in endangered species," it said.

The animals were deported back to Thailand and the passenger was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962 read with Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and remanded to judicial custody by a local court. PTI SA ROH

Prohibition on unauthorised wildlife import enabled seizure, arrest and deportation under Customs and wildlife laws. Customs intercepted an arriving passenger and found concealed live monkeys and tortoises, leading to seizure under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Customs Act, 1962, with applicable CITES regulations. The passenger was arrested under the Customs Act read with the Wildlife Protection Act, remanded to judicial custody, and the animals were deported to the exporting country, demonstrating enforcement measures for unauthorised import of protected species.