Overview
- Acting on specific intelligence, Mumbai Customs found two infant silvery gibbons hidden in a basket inside a trolley bag at CSMIA, with one found dead.
- The traveler was arrested under the Customs Act read with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, and a video released by Indian Customs shows the surviving ape in official care.
- In a separate case the same day, officers seized 7.97 kg of suspected hydroponic marijuana from a passenger arriving from Bangkok and arrested him under the NDPS Act.
- Officials cite organized trafficking along the Thailand–India corridor, with wildlife monitor TRAFFIC reporting more than 7,000 animals seized on that route over the past 3.5 years.
- Authorities note the silvery gibbon’s IUCN Endangered status with fewer than about 2,500 in the wild and report recent Bangkok-linked weed seizures totaling about 12.4 kg over four days.