Two men were arrested at Mumbai Airport (BOM) for smuggling some exotic crocodiles from Thailand. The men are currently under the custody of the Magistrate, and the crocodiles have been sent back to their country of origin, Thailand.

Last Friday on September 27th, two Indian men that were flying in from Bangkok were arrested at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai. According to government officials, the two were on a Vistara flight.

Vistara currently only has one daily flight from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), flight UK124 departing at 2:45 PM and landing at 5:55 PM. On September 27th, the flight was operated with an Airbus A321neo as usual. The registration for the Airbus was VT-TVB, a 4-year-old Airbus A321neo that was delivered new to Vistara in October 2020.

Upon arrival in Mumbai, customs officers located the two men and subsequently arrested them. The men were identified as Mohammed Rehman Madni (41) and Hamaz Mansuri (30). Both are residents of the Kurla area in East Mumbai. 

The men are awaiting further trial as the investigation into the incident continues. They are currently under judicial custody by the Magistrate.

The Crocodiles

The crocodiles, 5 in total, were identified as baby Caiman Crocodiles. They were concealed in rectangular toothpaste boxes that were placed inside a trolley bag. 

After discovery, the crocodiles were handed over to RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), which is an NGO based in Mumbai that specializes in wildlife conservation. While the creatures seemed to be in a dehydrated state, they were soon treated and sent back to Thailand.

“These were added as schedule IV species along with ball python and others to the wildlife (protection) act in the recent amendment in 2023,” said Santosh Shinde from the SARRP foundation. 

Shinde added that, “Caiman crocodiles are usually smuggled for their skin. Leather products made from their skin have high value,”.

The two men responsible for the incident are currently awaiting further trial and are under investigation as of the time of writing.