A 32-year-old Canadian national was apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for carrying a crocodile skull, the customs said on Thursday.
According to the tariffs collecting agency, a Canadian passenger scheduled to depart to Canada was intercepted at the Terminal-3 of the IGIA and during the security check, a skull with sharp teeth, resembling the jaw of a baby crocodile, weighing approximately 777 grams, was discovered wrapped in a cream-colored cloth.
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The skull was sent to the Department of Forests and Wildlife (GNCTD) for a diagnostic test and it was reported that the texture, tooth pattern, well-developed bony palate, and nostrils confirmed the item as the skull of a baby crocodile, an official said.
Moreover, it was found that the skull belongs to a species protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It has been sent to Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for further scientific analysis, the customs official added.
Based on this the passenger was arrested for illegally possessing and attempting to export a Schedule-I protected wildlife item under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and violating sections 132, 133, 135, 135A, and 136 related to offenses of misdeclaration, illegal export, and smuggling items under Customs Act, 1962, he mentioned.
The seized skull was handed over to the Department of Forests and Wildlife (West Division, GNCTD), the official added.
In a separate case, a 47-year-old Indian passenger arriving from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) was apprehended for smuggling gold in metal rods concealed inside a trolley bag.
The gold roads, a total of 12 such pieces, weigh around 419 grams valued at Rs 32.96 lakh.
He was arrested under relevant sections of the Customs act and the gold was also seized, the Customs official elaborated.
