Int'l wildlife trafficking racket: TN cop sacked

A police constable attached to the Tamil Nadu special police battalion has been dismissed from service for his possible role as the linchpin in a multicrore international exotic species trafficking racket busted recently by the Chennai Customs authorities.

- SIDDHARTH PRABHAKAR

S Ravikumar (41), havildar number 4938 of the TSP VI battalion in Madurai, was dismissed from service on May 11, a senior police official said.

According to sources, Ravikumar is suspected to have made more than 10 trips to foreign countries including Malaysia and Thailand over the last three years. The value of wildlife species smuggled in by him in recent times would be around ₹5 crore, investigators said.

Marmoset monkeys, redtailed guenon (monkey), sugar gliders, Tegu lizards, and several varieties of ball python and Fennec fox were among the exotic animals that were suspected to have been smuggled into the country by him.