Air intelligence customs officials and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau inspectors intercepted a high-value contraband shipment containing living specimens of the endangered Channa Barca snakehead fish at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. The rare endemic aquatic species, highly sought after in international black markets for exotic ornamental aquariums, was concealed inside mislabeled air cargo containers bound for Southeast Asian destinations.
Wildlife enforcement authorities discovered dozens of live specimens packed inside pressurized oxygenated water pouches disguised as common commercial ornamental fingerlings. The Barca snakehead, indigenous to specific peat wetland pockets in Assam and Nagaland, is strictly protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, carrying prohibitions against commercial extraction and unauthorized international transport.
Customs officials detained two logistics handlers connected with the fraudulent cargo declarations and initiated criminal proceedings under wildlife conservation and customs statutes. The seized fish were safely transferred to state zoological and fishery rehabilitation centers, while investigative teams expanded surveillance against illicit wildlife smuggling syndicates targeting northeastern endemic species.
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Sources:
https://m.nenow.in/article/arunachal-pradesh/arunachal-assam-rifles-personnel-killed-four-injured-in-insurgent-ambush-near-myanmar-border/539296/amp