Bengaluru delivery man arrested with two baby gibbons

Members of a wildlife racket had booked is tickets and hotel room while he delivered the endangered animal

MUMBAI: The Sakinaka police have arrested a 31-year-old resident from Bengaluru after two endangered baby gibbons were found in his possession.

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Thane forest officers said the accused, Arvind Arogyaraj, was working as a courier for the wildlife smuggling racket. The racket’s gang members sent him instructions on WhatsApp to collect baby gibbons from Andheri, where he stayed in a hotel. They had even booked flight tickets for him on 20 September.

The police, based on a tip-off, raided his hotel room on Tuesday and seized the animals. After his arrest, Arogyaraj told the police that he had been doing this across the country for extra earnings.

Arogyaraj was handed over to the Forest Department for further investigation. “The Thane Forest department will now investigate the entire smuggling ring and the source from where the animals are captured and imported,” said a police officer.

“He said he was to receive two payments of ₹50,000 for the gibbon. He had also delivered bird species in the past,” said the officer.