Latest news with #IndianCustoms
The Hindu
4 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Airlines instructed to prevent unauthorised carriage of live animals into India
In a bid to prevent the unauthorised carriage of live animals into India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued fresh guidelines to airlines operators, official sources said on Friday (July 25, 2025). Amid multiple instances reported by airlines regarding the carriage of live animals into India by passengers without proper declaration or clearance, classified as unbeknownst imports, the DGCA asked the operators to devise strategies to detect and deter the violation of deportation conditions. Going by rules laid down by the Animal Quarantine and Certification Services and Indian Customs, such animals were subject to immediate deportation to their country of origin, with appropriate intimation to concerned stakeholders and authorities in that country. Though the carriage of animals/birds by air was governed by the Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) of 1985, the DGCA's advisory intended to further guide and ensure compliance with the latest instructions/orders of the Indian Customs and other law-enforcing agencies and facilitate the safe and legally compliant deportation animals by all aircraft operators/airlines operating in India. Responsibility of airlines The aviation regulator said in case of detection of any unbeknownst imports of live animals into India, the concerned airline would be responsible for their immediate deportation. 'The airline that transported the undeclared live animals shall be solely responsible for deportation in accordance with applicable laws. All costs associated with deportation, including animal handling, in-transit welfare, documentation, and repatriation logistics shall be borne by the airline,' the advisory said. As part of the preventive measures, the operators were advised to make sure that the employees deployed at check-in counters, boarding gates and in-flight operations were adequately trained and sensitised on customs and quarantine rules and regulations pertaining to transport of live animals. Passenger advisories and signage regarding restrictions on import of live animals should be displayed prominently, the sources said.
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Indian smuggler stopped with possums, lizards, tarantulas
More than 7,000 animals have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3½ years. (Thai customs/AFP pic) MUMBAI : Indian customs officers made the latest 'significant' seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a government statement said, carrying nearly 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Customs officers said the passenger, who was also carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had 'exhibited signs of nervousness' on arrival at India's financial capital Mumbai. The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. Wildlife seized included iguanas, as well as a kinkajou or honey bear – a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico's rainforests – as well as six 'sugar gliders', a gliding possum found in Australia. Photographs released by the customs unit showed the six sugar gliders huddled together in a basket, as well as a box crammed with lizards. 'In a significant operation, customs officers… intercepted an Indian national… leading to the seizure of multiple live and deceased wildlife species, some of which are protected under wildlife protection laws', the ministry of finance said in a statement late yesterday. Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, today warned of a 'very troubling' trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3½ years, it said. Customs officers at Mumbai airport are more used to seizing smuggled gold, cash or cannabis – but instances of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise recently. Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and several turtles from an Indian national flying from Thailand earlier in June. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as 'near-threatened' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). TRAFFIC said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, more than 80% of interceptions happened in India. 'The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling,' said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which 'shows that the clamour for exotic pets is driving the trade', she added. In February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, were 'ingeniously concealed' in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, authorities found a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles.
Malaysiakini
21-05-2025
- Malaysiakini
2 Indian nationals nabbed in Bengaluru with nearly 3k slider turtles
Despite numerous warnings issued by authorities, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) continues to be used by smugglers to transport wildlife out of the country, especially to India. Yesterday, Indian Customs authorities stopped two Indian nationals who had just arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport, in Bengaluru, India, via IndiGo flight 6E-1038 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 10.59pm.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mika Singh recalls face-off with Sameer Wankhede at airport, says Customs treated him like 'Dawood Ibrahim' after USD 2 lakh tweet: 'I'm not some idiot'
Mika Singh vs Customs Tweet that triggered chaos Mika Singh reveals he once got a 'tight slap' from his girlfriend: 'I became very loyal after that and would be scared of her' Singer Mika Singh , who is known as much for his music as for his flair for controversy, has once again made headlines, this time for a bold anecdote about an old run-in with Indian Customs officials. In a recent chat with YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra, Mika recounted how a moment of anger led him to tweet that he was entering India with USD 2 lakh in foreign currency, daring officials to stop incident dates back to a time when IRS officer Sameer Wankhede allegedly stopped Mika and his band members at the airport for carrying foreign currency exceeding the permissible limit. 'Sameer Wankhede — he is my good friend now — stopped me once. The members of my band were also with me. At that time, each person was allowed to carry USD 1,000. Now I think the permissible limit is USD 10,000,' Mika recalled being upset when told he couldn't carry the amount, and how news quickly spread outside the airport that he had been 'detained.' 'I hadn't even heard that word before. I was so sad,' he happened next was pure Mika-style drama. 'I became very angry, particularly since I used to do a lot of shows for the Customs department. Then, I tweeted saying, 'I am coming with USD 2 lakh; catch me if you can!'' he shared. True to his prediction, the airport was teeming with officials when he landed. 'It was like Dawood Ibrahim was about to step out wearing gold around the neck,' he clarified that the tweet was made in jest and said he never expected officials to take it seriously. 'I posted it without giving it much thought. I asked them, 'What did you guys think — that I would actually bring USD 2 lakh with me? I'm not some idiot.''In the end, though his dollar joke fizzled out, the officials still found something to act upon. 'I had two bottles of premium scotch whisky with me. They imposed customs duty on that instead,' he concluded with a laugh.
