Eight people have been detained by the Maharashtra Forest department following the discovery of bodies of monkeys and pigeons buried in the premises of an oil marketing firm in neighbouring Raigad district, the police said.
Acting on a tip-off, a forest department team reached the premises of BPCL in Panvel's Posri area and exhumed the bodies of 31 monkeys and 14 pigeons, said Chief Conservator of Forests SR Kadam.
He said post mortem was conducted and some body parts have been sent to the Haffkine Institute, a premier biomedical research facility, in Mumbai for further examination.
A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Officials said of the eight people detained, seven worked with the BPCL while one was an excavator driver.
Mpox Outbreak Could Soon Turn Into The Next Global Pandemic. Know More More Mpox Cases Likely To Hit Europe Soon, Says WHO Sweden Confirms 1st Case Of "More Grave" Type Of Mpox Virus Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah To Be Prosecuted In Land Scam Case Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed "Anti-Constitution": Siddaramaiah On Governor's Prosecution Sanction Pak-Origin 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana Can Be Sent To India: US Court Mumbai University Invites Applications For Distance Learning Courses 17 Palestinians Killed In Israeli Strike On Gaza Amid Raging War Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.