The Q branch police have seized 15 kg of processed seahorses, the endangered species protected under scheduled I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and detained two persons, suspected to be engaged by a smuggling gang to transport the contraband to Chennai.
Acting on a tip-off, a Q branch team, led by R. Kennedy, Inspector of Police, surrounded two persons, who were moving around in a suspicious manner at the Thondi bus stand and waiting to board a bus to Chennai on Saturday, and seized the seahorses after detaining them.
Police identified the accused as M. Arjunan (40), who has been facing charges of attempting to smuggle seahorses and his accomplice G. Jeeva (25). The accused who hailed from A. Manakudi and Mangalakudi in the district respectively were carrying the species in two bags.
The accused told the police team that they had collected the endangered species from fishermen, who caught them inadvertently while fishing and processed them to be taken to Chennai. They would handover the contraband to a contact, who was engaged in smuggling the species to foreign countries.
On being handed over, forest personnel arrested the duo under sections 9, 39, 50 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. They were produced before a magistrate court in Paramakudi and remanded in judicial custody.
In May last year, the Q branch police seized 26 kg of seahorses after detaining M. Suresh (36), also at the Thondi bus stand. He was engaged by Arjunan, the accused in the present case. He had asked Suresh to take the contraband to Bengaluru in the previous case, police said.
