Latest news with #TheTimesofindia
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Indian smuggler caught at airport with 52 live venomous snakes and exotic animals
An Indian passenger allegedly trying to smuggle venomous vipers was held in Mumbai after flying from Thailand, customs officials in the western city said on Sunday. The man, whose identity wasn't revealed, had concealed 52 live animals, including 44 Indonesian pit vipers, in his checked-in luggage. Photos released by Mumbai Customs showed dozens of turquoise-coloured pit vipers squirming in a bucket and venomous spider-tailed horned vipers slithering. He was also carrying Asian leaf turtles, native to Southeast Asia and known for their distinctive camouflage of leaf-like carapace. 'An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested,' Mumbai Customs said, adding that they had seized 44 Indonesian pit vipers, three spider-tailed horned vipers and five Asian leaf turtles. One of the 44 pit vipers had died by the time the luggage was opened. The man, travelling from Bangkok, was intercepted after he 'exhibited signs of nervousness', The Times of india">India quoted the investigators as saying. The haul of live animals is a rare seizure in Mumbai, where customs authorities regularly seize smuggled gold, cash or drugs. However, this is not the first time they have found live animals flown into India. In February, Mumbai airport authorities found a smuggler with five endangered Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The apes were found concealed in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag. In April last year, customs officials in the southern city of Bangalore arrested a passenger for allegedly smuggling 10 yellow anacondas concealed in his checked-in bag. The passenger was flying in from Bangkok, Thailand. In September 2023, a passenger from Bangkok was found carrying six Capuchin monkeys, 55 ball pythons in various colour variations, and 17 king cobras in their luggage. The primates were found dead, but the snakes were still alive and were later sent to their country of origin.
The Independent
04-03-2025
- The Independent
Tattoo artist arrested after woman's ‘objectionable' Hindu deity ink sparks backlash
A tattoo artist in India' s eastern city of Bhubaneswar has been arrested after a woman had a local deity's likeness inked on her thigh. The tattoo sparked outrage from Hindu groups and devotees. A case was filed against the tattoo parlour owner in the wake of the protests for allegedly outraging religious sentiments. The parlour owner, Rocky Ranjan Bisoi, 33, told police that one of his artists, Ashwini Kumar Pradhan, 25, had tattooed the Italian woman's thigh at her request. Mr Bisoi had posted a picture of the woman and her tattoo as his WhatsApp status. The image went viral on social media, sparking outrage and prompting him to delete the post. Subrat Kumar Mohanty, self-described social activist, filed a police complaint against Mr Bisoi after finding a photo of a 'foreign woman on the social media account of Rocky Tattooz where Lord Jagannath's tattoo was seen on her thigh, an objectionable placement'. Jagannath is the presiding deity of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, one of the most revered Hindu shrines and pilgrimage centres in India. 'The tattoo has hurt our religious sentiments,' Mr Mohanty said in his complaint, 'and we demand a public apology at Puri.' The woman, reportedly an Italian NGO worker in Odisha 's Kandhamal region, apologised saying she was a devotee and did not intend disrespect. A local police official, Biswa Ranjan Senapati, told The Times of india that police would 'definitely question her and issue her a warning since she seems to be unaware of our religious sentiments'. 'During the investigation, we found that the foreign lady had visited the tattoo shop on March 1. Under the instruction of the tattoo shop owner Rocky Ranjan Bisoi, Aswini Kumar Pradhan drew the tattoo on the thigh of the woman,' he was quoted as saying by PTI news agency. In his complaint, Mr Mohanty argued that the parlour owner should have prevented the foreigner from getting the deity's image tattooed on 'an unsuitable body location'. Mr Bisoi even took a photo of the foreigner with the tattoo and posted it on social media, he added. Amid the outrage, Mr Bisoi and the foreign woman issued separate video apologies on social media. 'I sincerely apologise as the tattoo was inked in our studio. I also seek forgiveness on behalf of the artist who created it. The woman, an Italian national, visited our shop on Saturday, expressing her deep devotion to Lord Jagannath and requesting the tattoo,' he said. 'She specifically asked for it to be placed on her thigh as she works in an NGO where tattoos in visible areas of the body are not permitted.' The woman promised to remove the tattoo once it had healed. She said in a video message on her social media: 'I did not want to be disrespectful. I'm a true devotee of Lord Jagannath. I go to the temple every day. I made a mistake and for this, I'm very sorry.' 'I just asked the artist to ink the tattoo in a hidden place. I didn't want to create any situation. I'm very sorry for this. As soon as the tattoo area heals, I will have it removed. Forgive me for my mistake.' The parlour owner claimed the woman decided to have the tattoo on her thigh despite him advising against it. The name and age of the woman was not publicly disclosed. There have been several incidents over the years of foreigners being accused of hurting the religious sentiments, intentionally or unintentionally, of the local people in Asian nations. In 2023, a Russian man was deported from Indonesia after a viral photo showed him stripping atop Bali's sacred Mount Agung. Despite apologising, he was reportedly banned from returning to the country for at least six months.
