Animals Stolen From Mumbai Zoo: Pythons, Monitor Lizards Worth Lakhs Go Missing From Marine Aqua Zoo in Dadar's Shivaji Park Area; Case Registered
An officer from the Shivaji Park police station said that they have begun an investigation in connection with the matter. "We are checking the CCTV footage and inquiring into the matter," the officer added.
Mumbai, November 2: In a bizarre incident in Mumbai, pythons, monitor lizards, and a foreign lizard were among the few animals allegedly stolen from the Marine Aqua Zoo in Mumbai's Shivaji Park area, Dadar. The incident came to light after trustees of the zoo complained to the police on Tuesday night, October 31. The complainant has been identified as Prithviraj Pawar, trustee of the Marine Aqua Zoo.
As per a report in the Hindustan Times, the Marine Aqua Zoo is located on Veer Savarkar Road in Dadar's Shivaji Park area. In his complaint, Pawar said he was supposed to take the animals to Somaiya Vidyavihar school on Tuesday; however, when he reached the zoo at Shivaji Park, he found the animals were missing. Pawar searched for the animals nearby but could not find them. Crocodile in Mumbai: Two-Foot Long Baby Crocodile Spotted at BMC Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool in Dadar, Triggers Panic Among Swimmers (Watch Video).
Which Animals Were Stolen From the Zoo?
Following this, he met Yuvaraj Moghe, president of the zoo, who immediately called the cops. As per Pawar's complaint, six stolen pythons, including two ball pythons, two red tail boas, one carpet python, and one blue eye Lucy ball python worth Rs 3 lakh, were stolen from the zoo. Besides, two Argentine tegu lizards worth Rs 1 lakh, one blue tongue skinks lizard worth Rs 30,000, and an iguana lizard worth Rs 25,000 were also stolen.
Acting on Pawar's complaint, the police have registered a case against unknown persons under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). An officer from the Shivaji Park police station said that they have begun an investigation in connection with the matter. "We are checking the CCTV footage and inquiring into the matter," the officer added. Mumbai: Dadar Railway Station to Undergo Platform Renumbering, Announces Central Railway; Platform Number 2 to Be Shut Down.
The Marine Aqua Zoo has been the talk of the town since the first week of October after a crocodile was reportedly found in the neighbouring Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) swimming pool. Mumbai police official said that after the incident, forest officials visited the zoo and shut it down for some time.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2023 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).