Orangutan and endangered reptiles seized from flat at Dombivli’s Palava City

An anonymous tip off from a five-star hotel in Mumbai led the Thane forest officials to a three bedroom flat at Palava City at Dombivli where they found an astonishing haul of endangered reptiles and even a caged orangutan. The great ape is usually to be found in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra and is listed as an endangered species.
When the forest officials reached the flat at the Lodha township, they found 15 reptiles stocked in plastic containers that included pythons and iguanas which command a high price for their sale is banned. The forest officials also found a star tortoise, and inside the bedroom was a large cage with a baby orangutan. The forest officials found a minor boy who opened the door for them who works as the cleaning staff. His employer, the boy said, had moved into the flat only six months ago.
The seized animals included six ball pythons which are found in north and central Africa, one golden child reticulated python which are among the largest pythons in the world, one iguana, 6 three-striped mud turtles, one Indian star turtle which is a threatened species and one orangutan.
“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,” said a forest department communique.
Sources revealed that the raid was initiated following a tip-off from the employee of a five-star hotel who gave them the basic details about the accused. Subsequently, the investigation team spent two days tracking down the flat and surveilling the accused. However, when the actual raid happened, he managed to escape.
The raid was documented on video to collect evidence under the BNSS Act.
The bedroom was in a complete disarray, and officers reported an unbearable foul odour permeating the entire flat. “The accused kept these animals in extremely poor conditions. A CCTV camera was also installed in the bedroom. The orangutan is a critically endangered species and this would mark the second such case of captivity in India,” said an officer involved in the raid.
“The snakes found are valued at ₹10 lakhs and above in the market. This is one of the biggest breakthroughs for the forest department in Maharashtra, we urge the forest department to restore these animals to their natural habitat at the earliest ” said wildlife conservationist Aniket Vyas
The raid was conducted under the guidance of the deputy conservator of forests, Thane and included the assistant conservator of forests (territorial & wildlife), Thane, along with the range forest officer, Kalyan (territorial), forest guards from Thane, Kalyan, Pisavali, and Mhasakhal, as well as personnel from the State Reserve Police Force Group II and the local police station, Manpada.