Custom officials at Chennai airport seized four cockatoos from two passengers from Malaysia on Tuesday night.
Muhammed Raja, 28, and Rameez Raja, 27, landed at the city airport from Kuala Lumpur. As they were carrying plastic cages with ventilation, customs officials got suspicious and, upon searching the cages, they found four cockatoos.
During investigation, the duo said the birds were brought for a film shooting. However, they failed to produce any certificates or licence.
Customs officials called the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, who certified them to be healthy, sources said. The four birds will be deported back to Malaysia shortly.
