A 3-foot-7-inch sub-adult crocodile was safely extracted during an early-morning rescue at the Aqua Line construction complex in Goregaon East. The animal was found healthy and is expected to be released into suitable natural habitat.
Mumbai | September 23, 2026
A sub-adult Indian marsh crocodile, or mugger, was safely rescued after it became trapped inside a deep electricity duct at the Aarey Metro construction complex in Goregaon East, Mumbai, early Wednesday morning.
The crocodile measured approximately 3 feet 7 inches. The incident occurred inside the construction complex associated with Mumbai Metro’s Aqua Line in Aarey Colony.
Crocodile Disappears Into Electricity Duct
According to reports, security personnel first spotted the crocodile moving through the Metro complex before it entered an open electricity trench.
The Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA) received an emergency call on its wildlife rescue helpline at around 12.05 am and dispatched a rescue team to the site.
The rescuers traced the animal inside an electricity duct reported to be approximately eight feet deep.
Using specialised rescue equipment, the team managed to extract the crocodile without injuring it.
Crocodile Found Healthy
The Mumbai Range Forest Department was informed about the rescue, and the crocodile was subsequently taken to the WWA transit facility for observation.
A veterinary examination found the animal healthy and fit to return to the wild. Forest officials and rescuers are coordinating its release into a suitable freshwater habitat.
Was It the Crocodile Seen at Aarey Last Month?
The incident has attracted additional attention because a similarly sized sub-adult mugger was filmed crossing Aarey Road near the Tapeshwar temple and Metro carshed area about a month ago.
Wildlife teams searched for that animal at the time but were unable to locate it.
It has not been conclusively established in the reports available so far that Wednesday’s rescued crocodile was the same individual.
Crocodile Encounters Increasing Around Mumbai
The rescue is not an isolated incident.
In July, a six-foot mugger crocodile was rescued from beneath a parked vehicle near Aarey following heavy monsoon rains. After veterinary examination, that animal was also released into suitable habitat.
Mumbai has witnessed an unusually high number of such incidents in 2026. Mid-Day reported in July that 23 crocodiles had already been rescued from Mumbai and adjoining areas during the year, with sightings and rescues reported around Powai, IIT Bombay, Bhandup, Mulund and Aarey.
The growing number of encounters has prompted discussion among wildlife experts about urban expansion, changing waterways and increasing overlap between crocodile habitat and densely used human landscapes.
Muggers Are Native Freshwater Predators
The mugger (Crocodylus palustris) is a freshwater crocodilian native to the Indian subcontinent. It inhabits rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes and reservoirs and plays the role of a top predator in freshwater ecosystems.
Mumbai’s lakes and wetlands support mugger crocodiles, but animals occasionally emerge in unexpected locations, creating potentially dangerous encounters for both people and the reptiles.
Wednesday’s incident ended without injury to either the crocodile or the rescuers.
The successful operation at Aarey demonstrates the importance of trained wildlife-response teams in a metropolis where natural habitats and rapidly expanding urban infrastructure increasingly meet.
Source credit: , September 23, 2026. Additional reporting: Free Press Journal.
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