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Monkey skull found in passenger’s hand baggage at Delhi airport
CISF personnel at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport found a suspected monkey skull concealed in a passenger's hand baggage during security screening on August 10. The passenger, who was flying from Delhi…
The Story in Brief
CISF personnel at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport found a suspected monkey skull concealed in a passenger's hand baggage during security screening on August 10. The passenger, who was flying from Delhi to Hyderabad, told officials the object was a monkey skull. He was handed over to local police for further action under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Police said the wildlife department's assessment is needed to confirm the object's identity and whether carrying it violates the law. The skull has been seized. Officials are investigating whether the skull was meant for ritual purposes or for trafficking animal artefacts. Similar seizures have occurred at the airport before, including a deer head and a baby crocodile head.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that this is a 'monkey skull' rests entirely on the passenger's word, and the wildlife department's opinion will decide the law. Some will rush to call it trafficking, others a harmless ritual item. Let's wait for the forensic identification. If it is a protected species, the act deserves punishment. If not, the panic says more about our assumptions than the crime. The real test: will the wildlife department rule it a modern trophy or an old curio?
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
