The officials of Mumbai Customs department rescued exotic animals and seized foreign currency at international airport in city in separated cases, the officials said.

Mumbai Customs said that on Sunday it seized 36 exotic animals from an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok. The animals were found concealed in the passenger’s luggage at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

A forest official said that 36 animals, including squirrel monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, monitor lizards and bearded dragons, were seized and handed over to experts from RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), according to the PTI.

Three of the animals had died, while some appeared to have suffered due to suffocation and starvation, he said.

The animals will be deported under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act to the country from where they were smuggled, the official added, the news agency reported. 

In a separate operation on Saturday, two passengers were arrested for attempting to smuggle foreign currency worth Rs 1.7 crore.

The customs officials recovered US dollars equivalent to Rs 53.68 lakh from each passenger, who were bound for Abu Dhabi and Fujairah in the UAE.

The money was recovered from the handbags of the passengers in simultaneous operations.

An official said that they are intrigued by the identical modus operandi and the common destination- the UAE.

We are investigating the source of the currency and the intended beneficiaries, an official added.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Mumbai Customs officials had intercepted multiple passengers carrying concealed gold and also prevented an attempt to smuggle endangered wildlife during operations conducted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI) on Monday and Tuesday.

Acting on profiling techniques, customs officers intercepted several passengers arriving from Nairobi and recovered 24-carat gold concealed in clothing, the officials had earlier said.

Based on specific intelligence, Mumbai Customs had also intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok with two White-cheeked Gibbons (Nomascus Leocogenys), one male and one female. The animals were concealed in a trolley bag. The passenger was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, read with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Further investigations were underway, the officials had earlier said.

(with PTI inputs)

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