Pythons, monitor lizards stolen from Shivaji Park zoo

Six pythons, two monitor lizards, a foreign lizard, and an Indian chameleon were stolen from Marine Aqua Zoo in Mumbai. Police have started an investigation.

Mumbai: Six pythons, two monitor lizards, a foreign lizard and an Indian chameleon were stolen from the Marine Aqua Zoo in Shivaji Park, Dadar. The trustees lodged a police complaint regarding this on Tuesday night, following which the police started an investigation.

HT Image

“We have registered a case against unknown persons under section 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc) of the Indian Penal Code,” said a police officer from the Shivaji Park police station. The complainant in the case was Prithviraj Pawar, trustee of the Marine Aqua Zoo located on Veer Savarkar Road.

“The complainant was supposed to take the animals to Somaiya Vidyavihar school on Tuesday. But when he reached Shivaji Park, he found the animals were missing. He searched for them nearby but could not find them, so he met Yuvaraj Moghe, the president of the zoo, and they called the police,” said the officer.

According to the complaint, the six stolen pythons (two ball pythons, two red tail boas, one carpet python, one blue eyes lucy ball python) were worth nearly ₹3 lakh. The two Argentine tegu lizards were worth ₹1 lakh; the blue tongue skinks lizard was worth ₹30,000 and the iguana lizard was worth ₹25,000.

“We are checking the CCTV footage and inquiring into the matter,” said a police officer.

The private zoo has been mired in trouble since the first week of October, when a crocodile was found in the neighbouring Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) swimming pool. Forest officials visited the zoo and shut it for some time pending inquiry, said police.

The BMC also served a notice to the management of the zoo on October 7 for building structures over 1,700 square feet without obtaining necessary permissions under Section 55 of the Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act.

On Monday, the civic body razed six unauthorised structures at the zoo including the canteen where food was cooked for staff and animals, and the projection area where screenings were held.

Amaan Khan, head of management, Marine Aqua Zoo, said the demolitions were due all to political vendetta.