Fortunate discovery: One of the 58 tortoises was found dead while 22 others were later assessed to be ‘thin’. — The Straits Times/ANN
A man was in India when he agreed to help a friend transport a bag to Indonesia after the latter claimed that it contained women’s clothing.
However, the bag contained 58 Indian star tortoises, which were uncovered when Indian national Abdul Jaffar Haji Ali, 40, arrived at Changi Airport on Aug 29 to take another flight to Jakarta.
One of the tortoises was dead while 22 others were later assessed to be “thin”.
The Indian star tortoise is listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
On Tuesday, Jaffar was sentenced to a year and four months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing the tortoises into Singapore.
National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor Lim Chong Hui told the court that Jaffar had earlier made plans to travel to Jakarta for a holiday.
The friend, identified in court documents as “Bhai”, helped Jaffar with all the logistical arrangements for the trip, including paying for his flight and arranging his accommodation.
In return, Bhai asked for Jaffar’s help to transport a piece of packed luggage to Jakarta, where someone would meet Jaffar to collect it.
Jaffar did not ask Bhai about its contents. However, Bhai told him that it contained women’s clothing.
Lim said: “The accused did not check the contents of the luggage to verify what Bhai told him and simply checked in the luggage before boarding his flight.
“The accused had ample opportunity to check and verify the contents of the luggage himself in the presence of Bhai.” — The Straits Times/ANN
