The air intelligence unit of the Customs Department busted an international smuggling racket and arrested a 29-year-old mule trying to smuggle Indian star tortoises from Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), concealed in check-in bags.
The scanning staff at Bengaluru airport noticed something moving in a bag and alerted officials, who, in turn, checked three bags carried by Ashik Ali Shahul Hameed from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. The bags contained 10 tortoises and tobacco products. Tobacco products are banned in Malaysia.
