Indian authorities foil second wildlife smuggling attempt from KL in a week

Summary

• Eight baby monkeys have been found hidden in suitcases carried by two passengers travelling by air from Kuala Lumpur to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• This is the second case of wildlife animals smuggled into India from Malaysia within a week.

Indian Customs officials rescued more wildlife animals smuggled in suitcases of passengers travelling from Malaysian airports last week, the second case within a week.

On Saturday, customs officers at Veer Savarkar International Airport in Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, found several infant monkeys hidden in the luggage of two passengers arriving there from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The eight monkeys were rescued and handed over to officials from the Department of Environment and Forest, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, pending official confirmation from authorities, Nicobar Times reported quoting sources.

However, no information has been released regarding the species of the monkeys or the actions taken against the passengers.

Checks by Malaysiakini found that AirAsia operates the only direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Port Blair and its plane carrying the flight number AK 55 travelled that route on Feb 8, 2025.

AirAsia operates flights between Kuala Lumpur and Port Blair every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Malaysiakini has contacted AirAsia, the Malaysian Royal Customs Department and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd for comment.

READ MORE: Customs Dept baffled by reports of wildlife smugglers from KLIA

Frequent wildlife trafficking via KLIA

The Port Blair seizure is the second reported case of wildlife smuggling via KLIA within a week.

Last Tuesday (Feb 4, 2025) an Indian national travelling from Malaysia to India was arrested at the Mumbai Airport for smuggling five baby siamang gibbons in his cabin luggage.

According to the Mumbai Customs, the primates were “ingenuously concealed” in plastic boxes of cages, which were then placed in a trolley bag.

Abdul Rahman Ahamaed, who originated from Chennai, was arrested after he landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Kuala Lumpur, Press Trust India reported.

“While three of the five siamang gibbons were found dead, the remaining two are in a very critical state,” an official reportedly said.

The official said Rahman has been arrested under India’s Customs Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act pending further investigation.

The surviving siamang gibbons were handed over to Mumbai’s wildlife expert team from Resqin Association for Wildlife Welfare for immediate medical care, upkeep, and stabilisation in consultation with the state Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

The official said the rescued animals will be sent back to their country of origin once they are stable and fit.

Siamang gibbons are critically endangered arboreal primates native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The species is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Schedule Four of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Smuggling route 

The two are the latest in a spate of cases where Indian authorities arrested passengers from Kuala Lumpur for smuggling wildlife in their suitcases.

Last October, a Malaysian woman was arrested at the Chennai Airport for smuggling four siamang gibbons and 52 iguanas in her suitcase.

It was the third case of smuggling from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai foiled by Indian authorities between August and October 2024.

On Oct 8, the Chennai Customs Department seized 3,220 e-cigarettes, two iPhone 16s, and two gold chains weighing 700g - all valued at INR10.2 million (RM520,000).

The goods were carried by four individuals flying in from Kuala Lumpur.

On Sept 27, the department intercepted nearly 5,000 turtles, carried by passengers from Kuala Lumpur.

There were 4,967 red-eared slider turtles and 19 albino red-eared slider turtles, the department said.

The month before that, it seized 778 Indian star tortoises from the baggage of a passenger departing from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur.

On Dec 28, 2024, officials from the Central Industrial Security Force, a central armed police force in India under the Home Affairs Ministry, stationed at Veer Savarkar International Airport seized smuggled gold from a transit passenger travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai.

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