New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday commenced a two-day India-Thailand Case Coordination Meeting on live animal trafficking at its headquarters in New Delhi, aimed at strengthening cross-border cooperation against the illegal trade in exotic wildlife.
The meeting, being held from September 2-3, is jointly hosted by the CBI and the INTERPOL Environmental Security Sub-Directorate (ENS).
According to the CBI, the smuggling of exotic live animals and birds for the pet trade has emerged as a growing concern across Asia. There has been a marked increase in trafficking of live exotic species between Southeast Asia and South Asia, with air routes commonly used to transport animals from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to countries including India, often via Singapore as a transit hub.
Another frequently exploited trafficking corridor is the land route running from Thailand through Myanmar.
Over the two-day event, participants will deliberate on trafficking trends involving exotic species, major smuggling routes, concealment techniques employed by criminal networks, and ways to enhance cooperation in identifying and targeting traffickers.
Inaugurating the meeting, CBI Special Director Manoj Sashidhar said that live animal and bird trafficking is no longer solely a wildlife protection issue but has evolved into a transnational organised crime involving sophisticated concealment and transportation methods, as well as extensive cross-border linkages.
He noted that the movement of trafficked animals often involves multiple intermediaries and routes, underscoring the need for robust international cooperation in investigations. Sashidhar also stressed the importance of securing Interpol notices against fugitives involved in wildlife trafficking.
Besides officials from Thailand, the meeting is being attended by representatives of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force, Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force, Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, and the CBI.
The CBI said that, in its capacity as National Central Bureau (NCB)-New Delhi, it has been actively supporting international efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking and has hosted two regional investigative and analytical case meetings involving multiple foreign jurisdictions in collaboration with INTERPOL over the past two years.
–IANS
skp/