Airport officials catch Indian man smuggling leopard cub in his suitcase

The airport authorities were shocked to see a cub inside the bag.

Airport officials in Chennai, India, caught a man trying to smuggle a leopard cub which he had stuffed in his suitcase. The frail female cub was discovered after airport staff heard muffled cries while randomly searching passengers. 
According to reports in metro.co.uk, the staff asked the 45-year-old man to open his suitcase and were shocked to find the leopard cub. Airport officials later revealed the cub weighed only one kilogram and was making 'trill sounds and appeared to be weak'. 
The cub, which was in a state of shock, was handed over to the forest department while the man was said to be 'evasive in his replies' during initial questioning. The authorities are likely to prosecute the man for contravening the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and are also investigating if he is a part of a smuggling racket. 

• India