An unidentified tip off from a five-star hotel exposed wildlife smuggling racket in Mumbai. Relying on the tip, the Thane Forest officials raided a three-bedroom flat at Palava City at Dombivli. There they found a surprising stash of endangered reptiles and rescued a caged orangutan.

Orangutan, the great ape is said to be found in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. This species is listed as an endangered species. The estimated cost of all these reptiles is said to be worth INR 10 lakhs.

Thane Forest Police Busted the Wildlife Smuggling Racket

Acting on the given tip, the forest officials reached the flat at the Lodha township. They found around 16 reptiles stacked in plastic containers. The containers consisted rare species of monkeys, lizards and orangutan.

The report of Times of India suggest that the flat was rented by Faizan Khan. He rented the house six months back and used to live with his wife and his 12-year-old son. The sources claimed that Khan got aware about the inspection and left the scene.

Khan would sell these species in international market on high prices. The forest department along with the help of local police has started the search operation to find the accused.

A forest department communique stated, Upon preliminary identification, we found the seized animals included prohibited exotic wildlife species such as turtles, snakes, pythons, iguanas, etc. The seized wildlife has been temporarily handed over to a local NGO, Birsa Munda at Kalyan for care and supervision. A detailed panchnama and other documentation have been filed and further investigation is on to trace the accused.

What Did the Officials Found?

Under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the police rescued the animals and handed over it to a local NGO. The police rescued around 16 rare species. The species included six ball pythons that are found in North and Central Africa, one golden child reticulated python (one of the largest pythons in the world), and one iguana. They also founded 6 three-striped mud turtles and one Indian star turtle which is listed in the endangered species and one orangutan.

The police stated that the flat was fully air conditioned with an additional AC for the orangutan in the bathroom. These creatures are traded for millions in the international market.

Reactions From Social Media

The social media gave mixed reactions on this discovery. The users reacted over the presence of an orangutan and questioned as how it even ended up there. Some pointed to the fact that they are kept in safe conditions.

One user commented, Itne animals toh Mumbai ke zoo mein bhi nahi hai, jitne toh isne apne 2BHK flat ei ghusad dia hai!  (Even Mumbai Zoo doesnt have these many creatures that this man has stuffed in his 2BHK).

Netizens are now demanding search in Anant Ambanis Vantara project, which was a private family zoo earlier.

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