Not Gold or drugs; shocking smuggled goods worth lakhs found from luggage of couple who arrived at Kochi airport from Thailand

KOCHI: A couple who arrived from Thailand with wild animals in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act at the Kochi International Airport were caught by customs. Jobson Joy (28) and his wife Aryamol (28), natives of Pathanamthitta, were caught.

Six wild animals were found in the luggage of a couple who arrived on a Thai Airways flight yesterday. The luggage included a blue-colored Hyacinth macaw, three marmosets, and two white-lipped tamarins. The luggage was checked due to suspicion. The wild animals were hidden in a special box in the luggage. Customs officials said that they turned carriers for money and that these wild animals are worth lakhs. The macaws are quite large. The monkeys are small.

The couple were instructed that someone would come and receive the wild animals when they arrived at the Kochi airport. The arrested people and the wild animals were handed over to the forest department. A huge international racket is operating behind the wildlife smuggling.