Man with crocodile skull in luggage arrested at Delhi airport

Indian authorities say they have arrested a Canadian man at Delhi airport for carrying a crocodile skull in his luggage.

The 32-year-old man was at the airport on Monday to catch his flight to Canada when he was stopped during the security check for the first time.

“Upon examination, a skull with sharp teeth similar to the jaws of a baby crocodile, weighing approximately 777 grams (1.71 pounds), was found wrapped in cream-coloured cloth,” Delhi Customs said in a statement on Thursday. “

The man was arrested and the skull was handed over to the Forest and Wildlife Department, he said.

Authorities said possession of the crocodile skull was a violation of India’s wildlife protection law and its Customs Act.

Analysis of the skull by the Forest and Wildlife Department revealed that it belonged to a species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of India.

“The texture, pattern of teeth, well-developed bony palate and nose confirm that the object is the skull of a baby crocodile,” he said.

A forest officer told Times of India newspaper It is being told that the person had bought this skull from Thailand.

Forest officer Rajesh Tandon said, “The person did not have the mandatory permission required to carry wildlife items.”

man too Told the authorities that he had neither hunted nor killed the crocodileHindustan Times report.

Further tests are being conducted to identify the exact subspecies of the animal.

Meanwhile, Delhi Customs says that a case has been registered against the man and investigation is underway.

Last year, a 32-year-old Canadian woman was stopped at the Delhi airport after the horns of an unknown animal were found in her luggage. The woman told officials that she had picked them up during a trip in the northern Ladakh region and decided to take them back as a souvenir.