Overview
- On July 15, Pune Customs officers acting on intelligence intercepted passengers Zaheerabbas Aynal Mandal and Bhavesh Rameshbhai Solanki arriving from Bangkok and found 20 exotic animals in their baggage
- The haul comprised 14 green tree pythons (13 alive, one dead), four double-eyed fig parrots and two Sumatran striped rabbits transported without required clearances
- A case under the Customs Act, 1962, and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, has been registered as investigators probe the broader trafficking corridor linking Bangkok and Maharashtra
- RESQ Charitable Trust and Maharashtra forest department teams provided emergency medical care and ongoing veterinary follow-up at the airport treatment centre
- This interception marks the sixth consignment seized at Pune and Mumbai airports since June, bringing the total to more than 350 exotic animals trafficked along this route