A non-resident Indian (NRI) on his way to the United States was caught at Delhi Airport for allegedly smuggling a ‘wildlife trophy’. According to a police official on Friday, an FIR was registered by the Delhi Police on March 26 after the Department of Forest and Wildlife, following a serious violation detected on March 24 at IGI airport.

The wildlife trophy is known as an animal (or its head, skin or any other body part) that the hunter keeps as a souvenir.

The incident took place on March 24 when accused Paljit Singh Paul Lalvani,a resident of New York, USA, was on his way to board a flight to the US by Air India airlines, was trying to smuggle ‘wildlife trophy’ and was caught when his baggage was scanned. The scanning revealed a doubtful image, following which he was apprehended by the DIAL (Airport Security).

The recovered article is presumed to be Antelope/Cerved Species covered under Scheduled-I and Il of Wildlife Protection Act, the FIR stated. “The incident took place on 24.03.2024 when Mr. Lalvani was apprehended by DIAL (Airport Security) while attempting to transport the aforementioned wildlife trophy out of the country. Mr. Lalvani was handed over to the Customs Officials and they booked him under relevant sections of Customs Act, 1962,” the FIR said.

The case was subsequently directed to the Wildlife Department by the Duty Magistrate, Patiala House Court, with instructions to register an FIR despite being initially booked under the Customs Act, 1962.

The FIR read, “This act is a clear violation of several sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, including but not limited to Sections 39, 40, 48A, 49, 49B, and 51. As per Section 39 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, possession and transport of trophies of scheduled species without proper authorization are strictly prohibited. Furthermore, under Section 40, any attempt to export such trophies without requisite permits is punishable under the law.”