Airport staff were left in shock when they uncovered a fragile leopard cub in the bag of passenger who had flown from Bangkok to India.
The man, who the New Indian Express identified as Kaja Moideen, arrived in Chennai airport on Saturday after a normal flight.
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"A 45 year old Chennai based man Kaja Moideen who works in Kuala Lumpur has been arrested and investigation is on," Customs Commissioner Rajan Chaudhary said.
He was reported to have collected his bag after the customs check and started to hurry away.
All seemed well until staff's suspicions were raised when they heard a noise from the man's bag and eventually discovered the one-month-old 1kg (2.2lbs) leopard cub.
The man was then intercepted and taken into a private room for questioning - the NIE reported the passenger was 'evasive' when being questioned about the cub being in his bag.
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However, a senior officer said: "He says he was supposed to handover it to someone at the Chennai airport. We made him wait, but no one came."
The cub itself was said to be in a fragile and shocked condition after being found in a pink plastic container in his roll-along bag.
The health and safety of the little cub became priority and a veterinary doctor was called from Aringar Anna Zoological Park to asses it.
The tiny creature was identified as a female cub and is now being cared for and rehabilitated at the zoo.
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Up until three months old, leopard cubs rely solely on the constant care of their mothers for milk and protection - even in captivity they receive round the clock care.
Further investigations are currently underway to find out how and why the cub was illegally smuggled.
Featured Image Credit: NDTVTopics: World News, Thailand, Animals, India