Two tonne of sea cucumbers seized in Tamil Nadu, two detained – Times of India

NAGAPATTINAM: More than two tonne of sea cucumbers, meant to be smuggled out of the country, were seized from two premises at Akkaraipettai in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu on Monday evening.
The sea cucumber is a marine species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The value of the seized cumber is estimated to be more than Rs 60 lakh.
Based on information, the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit (OCIU) of the state police conducted a search on the premises of P Senbagaraman, 63, of Akkaraipettai and found around 1,200 kg of sea cucumbers.
Police secured Senbagaraman along with his accomplice, Chandru alias R Chandrasekar, 45, of Kodipangu in Ramanathapuram district.
The special team also raided the premises of Muruganantham and seized 1,050 kg of the sea cucumbers. Muruganantham was absconding, police said.
After the preliminary investigations, the OCIU team handed over the seized sea cucumbers and the duo to district forest officer (DFO) S Kalanidhi.
When contacted, the DFO told TOI that since there were processed and unprocessed sea cucumbers, it would be difficult to measure the exact weight. “Once dried, the weight of the sea cucumbers will come down. However, definitely, it would be more than two tonne,” he said.
“Poaching of sea cucumbers is banned to prevent the extinction of the rare species. If anyone is caught possessing the species, he will be sentenced to imprisonment for a period ranging from three to seven years,” he stated.