India arrests after sea cucumbers seized at Delhi hotel

Sea cucumbers live on the ocean floor

A court in India has bailed two people after highly endangered sea cucumbers were seized at a restaurant in a five-star hotel in the capital, Delhi.

The restaurant manager of the hotel, which was not named, and the supply company owner were arrested last month.

A government statement said the sea cucumbers were found during a raid on the hotel restaurant last August.

Trading in sea cucumbers is illegal and carries stiff penalties under Indian wildlife protection laws.

"After receiving information, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials searched the restaurant and seized sea cucumbers from the kitchen of the hotel," the ministry of environment and forests said in a press release.

"On further interrogation, the shop of the supplier was also searched by the WCCB officials."

Samples were sent to the Zoological Survey of India for analysis and "the sea cucumbers were identified as Actinopyga milliaris", the statement said.

Many species of sea cucumbers are found in India. They have the same level of protection as the tiger.