Cops Searching House Make Unnerving Find in Basement

Man says he has had crocodile for years
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 20, 2018 5:49 PM CST
Russian Cops Face the Unexpected: Crocodile in Basement
In this undated handout photo released by the Russian Interior Ministry official website on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, a crocodile rests in a small pool of water dug in a concrete basement in St. Petersburg, Russia.   (Russian Interior Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russian police had an unexpected encounter while searching a house in St. Petersburg — a crocodile in the basement, the AP reports. The Fontanka.ru news portal said the incident happened Thursday while detectives were looking for undeclared weapons in the house of a man involved in staging reconstructions of historic military battles with period uniforms and antique weaponry. When they went down to the basement, they saw a crocodile resting in a small pool of water. The owner of the house explained that he got the crocodile years ago. City prosecutors said Friday they were checking whether the man was complying with local laws. (More crocodile stories.)

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