Agricultural university, University in Hangzhou, China

New Delhi, Aug 12 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has carried out searches at various premises linked to Villayutham, an alleged kingpin of sea cucumber smuggling, in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram.An ED official here said that the agency sleuths carried out searches at the premises of Villayutham on August 9, in a case relating to the serious environmental crime of smuggling sea cucumber, an endangered species, along Sri Lankan maritime border.He said that the agency had registered a case on the basis of 13 FIRs in wildlife cases filed against Villayutham.The residential premises of Villayutham, and Hotel Raamajeyam owned by him at Rameshwaram were searched by the ED and led to seizure of large number of sale deeds, cash receipts, cheque books and other incriminating documents."Sale deeds papers and other documents seized during the search operation revealed the value of the assets of Villayutham to be around Rs 5 crore," he said.The official said that known as the 'cleaners of the sea,' sea cucumbers play a vital role in maintaining health of marine ecosystem. Sea cucumbers, also called as Holothur, are marine endangered species, and an important constituent of the coral ecosystem in the Gulf of Mannar. The product Beche-de-mer derived from processed sea cucumbers is commercially important and considered as a delicacy in China, Japan and Korea. Besides, the sea cucumber is known to have aphrodisiac qualities and the pharmacological properties.The official said that in 2001, Indian government included all species of sea cucumbers under Schedule-I category of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and totally banned their collection. These animals have also been protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Agricultural UniversityFOLLOW

Agricultural university, Latest News

According to new research, regular exercise, even performed in areas with air pollution, can reduce the risk of death from natural causes. ...

Beijing, Aug 15 Global smartphone brand Xiaomi, that introduced its fourth generation Mix series smartphone Mi Mix ... ...

Beijing, Aug 15 Researchers have identified that low microRNA (miRNA) immunity increases the risk of Covid-19 infection in ... ...

Beijing, Aug 15 Rescue efforts are underway after a coal mine was flooded by mud, leaving one dead ... ...

In a veiled message to China and Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India's surgical strikes and airstrikes have conveyed that the country is fighting and effectively responding to challenges of both terrorism and expansionism. ...

China's tech giant Huawei has been spying on Pakistanis and has accessed the country's sensitive data for national security, a media report said on Friday. ...

Beijing, Aug 13 Twenty-one people were killed and four others missing as heavy rain lashed a township in ... ...

New Delhi, Aug 12 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has carried out searches at ... ...