TN man arrested for possessing sea cucumbers

THANJAVUR: Forest department officers on Thursday arrested a man for possessing 112 sea cucumbers in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.

The arrested man has been identified as M Panneerselvam, 50, of Manthiripattinam.

Sea cucumber is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Forest range officer A S Chandrasekaran of the Pattukottai range said on Friday that the man was caught during a vehicle check conducted based on a tip-off.

During the interrogation, the man told the forest department officers that he had found the sea cucumbers on the shore at Manthiripattinam recently and kept it for his use.

However, Chandrasekaran said the real origin of the sea cucumbers was yet to be ascertained. The accused was also tight-lipped about the receiver of the protected species.

The officer said that there was a notion that the consumption of sea cucumber would help increase the libido though it is not medically proven. “The sea cucumbers may have been intended to be smuggled within India or outside India. It should be investigated further,” said Chandrasekaran, adding that each sea cucumber may be priced between Rs 300 and Rs 400.

The man was remanded in judicial custody. The seized sea cucumbers would be destroyed after obtaining a court order, the officer said.


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