Indian authorities say they have arrested a Canadian man at Delhi airport for carrying a crocodile skull in his luggage.
The 32-year-old was at the airport on Monday to catch his flight to Canada when he was first stopped during a security check.
“On inspection, a skull with sharp teeth, resembling the jaw of a small crocodile, weighing approximately 777 g (1.71 lb) was found wrapped in a cream-colored cloth,” Delhi Customs said in a statement on Thursday.
The man has been arrested and the skull has been handed over to the Department of Forests and Wildlife, they said.
Officials said possession of a crocodile skull violates India's Wildlife Protection Act and the Customs Act.
Analysis of the skull by the Department of Forests and Wildlife found that it belonged to a species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of India.
“The texture, tooth pattern, well-developed bony palate and nostrils confirmed that the object was the skull of a baby crocodile,” they said.
A forest official said Times of India newspaper that the man allegedly bought the skull from Thailand.
“The man did not have the mandatory permit required to carry wildlife items,” forest official Rajesh Tandon said.
The man too told officers he did not hunt or kill the crocodilereports Hindustan Times.
Additional tests are being conducted to identify the exact subspecies of the animal.
Meanwhile, Delhi Customs said a case has been registered against the man and an investigation is underway.
Last year, a 32-year-old Canadian woman was stopped at Delhi airport after the horns of an unidentified animal were found in her luggage. The woman told officials that she had picked them up while trekking in the northern Ladakh region and decided to take them back as a souvenir.