Acting on a tip-off, officials from the forest department and the Mumbai Police seized a live juvenile crocodile during a raid at a slum in Juhu and arrested one person identified as Imran Ismail Sheikh, a resident of Moragai Shankar Chawl. Officials said they are now probing the source of the protected reptile and how it was illegally procured.

A Thane Forest Department (Territorial) official said that based on the tip-off received by Unit 9 of the Crime Branch on February 3, authorities, with the assistance of NGO SARRP President Santosh Shinde, raided Sheikh’s residence and seized one Indian crocodile and one Indian spotted turtle.