Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) on Tuesday foiled a bid to smuggle around 48 black scorpions to Hong Kong.

The Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) recovered the species from Karachi Airport export cargo service and later informed the Sindh Wildlife Department. It is learnt that the smuggled box was posted from Mirpurkhas via Pakistan Post.

Both the departments were busy in foiling the smuggling of contraband items and endangered species. The SWD lodged an FIR against the involved persons. While talking to Daily Times, Investigation Officer Rashid Ahmed Khan said that these species were on endangered list, banned and were repealed species.

According to reports obtained from SWD, the insects were being smuggled through Pakistan postal service. A person namely Abdul Rehman Azeemi booked the post for Hong Kong. Rashid said, “The species were recovered from export cargo. They were hidden in small boxes. They weigh from 5 to 15 grammes per piece.” He said that investigation has been ordered in this regard. The SWD during the present year registered around 50 cases of smuggling different endangered species, mainly migratory birds being smuggled by the traffickers. These species were being supplied in different parts of Sindh including Badin, Thatta and Larkana.