A gang of miscreants attempting to smuggle a lion through a Pakistani city saw their plan go up in smoke when the big cat escaped from their vehicle and wound up roaming the streets. The bizarre incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday evening during rush hour in Karachi. The normally bustling traffic in the city came to a screeching halt when motorists realized that they were sharing the streets with an out-of-place lion that had appeared out of nowhere. As one might imagine, the presence of the big cat sparked something of a panic among residents as one man was nearly attacked by the creature.

The lion managed to evade capture for approximately two hours until wildlife officials were able to drive the animal into a building where they finally subdued the beast. A subsequent investigation by police led them to five individuals who they determined had been responsible for the big cat being in Karachi that day. When questioned, they claimed that the creature was sick and that they were transporting it to a veterinarian when it somehow escaped from their truck. However, their alibi fell apart when cops noticed that their vehicle contained a distinctly different animal which cast considerable doubt upon their tale: an old tortoise.

The fact that the gang had been driving around Karachi with both a lion and a very large turtle in their truck led authorities to surmise that the men were in the midst of a smuggling scheme that went wildly awry when the big cat busted loose. Their assessment of the situation was seemingly confirmed when one of the suspected smugglers declared to authorities that “we do not want the lion. It can be handed over to anyone.” The big cat and its unlikely turtle companion have since been sent to the Karachi Zoo for safekeeping until wildlife officials determine how best to release them into the wild. The would-be smugglers, meanwhile, will likely be hit with significant fines if not jail time for the wild misadventure.