Foreign student charged with two counts of wildlife trafficking

Summary

• A 21-year-old student from India pleads not guilty to two charges of wildlife smuggling.

• Dinesh Kumar Selvam was charged with trying to export an infant agile gibbon and six infant albino yellow-headed temple turtles, without a special permit, at KLIA on April 20.

A foreign student from India has claimed trial at the Sepang Sessions Court today to two counts of wildlife trafficking after he was caught trying to smuggle protected animals out of the country.

Dinesh Kumar Selvam, from Ramanathan, Tamil Nadu, pleaded not guilty to both charges before judge Ahmad Fuad Othman.

The charges were read to him in Tamil by a court interpreter, as he does not understand English.

On the first charge, he was accused of attempting to export an infant agile gibbon without a special permit.

The second charge involved six albino yellow-headed temple turtles, which he also tried to export without a permit.

Both species are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

Dinesh was charged under Section 71 of the Act and Section 511 of the Penal Code.

Section 71 carries a fine of RM20,000 for each animal, not exceeding the aggregate of RM1 million, and imprisonment not exceeding seven years and six months.

Section 511 carries imprisonment, not exceeding half of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the completed offence.

Fuad set May 13 for the hearing of his bail application.

Dinesh was represented by Khairunnisa Azzahrah Ghazalie, while Nazarudin Kamarudin prosecuted.

He is the second Indian national to be charged this month in relation to wildlife trafficking.

On April 23, Abdul Jaffar Mohideen Abdul Kadar, also from Tamil Nadu, pleaded not guilty to four primary and four alternative charges under the same Act.

The 50-year-old Indian national, who worked as a construction worker in Malaysia for 18 years, was arrested at KLIA with five harlequin monitor lizards, four Sulawesi forest turtles, three African spurred tortoises and two lace monitor lizards in his luggage.

Wildlife trafficking hub

Perhilitan has repeatedly warned against illegally keeping wild animals or committing wildlife crimes and urged those involved to cease their activities or face stern action.

The public can support enforcement efforts against wildlife trading or smuggling activities by alerting Perhilitan via its hotline 1800-88-5151 or its website.

Malaysia is considered a major transit point for the trafficking of endangered animals to other parts of Asia.

Last month, Transport Minister Anthony Loke reprimanded Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) over rising cases of wildlife being smuggled out of the country.

Checked-in luggage falls under the purview of MAHB’s baggage handling services, not the Customs Department.

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