3 held with 2 crocodile hatchlings in Mumbai's Borivali

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 Three persons were held by the Maharashtra Forest department for allegedly smuggling two crocodile hatchlings in the northern suburb of Borivali, an

official said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, the forest team flagged down a bus on Monday and searched it, leading to the discovery of the two hatchlings, he said.

"Bus driver Abdul Raheem Hafiz (33), and two others Kuddus Latif Beig (28) and Chhatrapati alias Shivaji Balaya (28) were held. They hail from Hyderabad (in Telangana) and
Karnataka," he said.

A case has been registered under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and further probe into the network, including the route of smuggling and final recipient, was underway, the
official said.

Crocodiles have been included in Schedule-I of the Act, thereby affording them highest degree of protection.

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