Twenty nine thousand Peacock Tail Feathers were seized from an Afghan National named Syed Haji Hussain who was smuggling the feathers in his baggage to Dubai by Air India flight No.AI-893 on 07.09.99. The passenger was off loaded and the customs confiscated the Peacock Tail Feathers along with a penalty of Rs.8,000/- on the passenger for attempted smuggling. The seizure was a joint effort by the Officials of the Western Region Wildlife Regional Office and Mumbai Customs.
Similarly, on 1st September, 1999, Shri G L Purohit, Wildlife Inspector of the Western Region office disallowed the export of 60,000 pieces of bare Peacock tail sticks made out of Peacock tail feathers worth Rs.97,594/- at Mumbai Sea Docks. M/s Aruna Brothers, J-27 A, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi was the exporter in the said case and the consignment was destined to Felixstone (U.K.).
The export of Peacock tail feathers was allowed under EXIM Policy upto 31st March, 1999 and the Ministry of Commerce prohibited the export of the said item with effect from 1st April, 1999. The seizure of Peacock tail feathers and detention of the passenger in Mumbai International Airport was the first of its kind in the recent past.