Woman held at Chennai airport with 22 snakes, 1 chameleon: Watch
At least 22 snakes of different species and one chameleon were found in a passenger bag at Chennai Airport on April 28 from Kuala Lumpur.
New Delhi: Customs officials arrested a woman passenger at the Chennai airport with 22 snakes of various species and one chameleon on Friday.
The passenger arrived at the Chennai airport on April 28 from Kuala Lumpur on Flight No. AK13. She was intercepted by the customs officials on the basis of suspicion.
“On examination of her checked-in baggage, 22 snakes of various species were found, along with a chameleon. The reptiles were seized under the Customs Act, read with the Wildlife Protection Act,” an official said.
A video from the airport showed officials taking out snakes using a long rod while some were wriggling out of the crates on the floor.
The reptiles were packed in transparent plastic containers. Those species are in high demand in the illegal wildlife trade in India and their seizures at airports are not uncommon.
The woman was produced before a local court on Saturday, which sent her to 14-day judicial custody.
Watch Video:
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: On 28th April, a female passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur by Flight No. AK13 was intercepted by Chennai Airport Customs. On examination of her checked-in baggage, 22 snakes of various species and a chameleon were found & seized under the Customs Act,… pic.twitter.com/mRGKivczbA
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 29, 2023
According to the officials, the Customs Department of Chennai Airport found 45 ball pythons, three marmosets, three-star tortoises, and eight corn snakes in a similar incident in January.
In October 2022, authorities held onto 1,204 reptiles of exotic species, such as ball pythons, green iguanas, monitor lizards, corn snakes, and African spurred tortoise, at Chennai, as per a yearly report of India’s Directorate of Income Knowledge (DRI). – Bernama
Ms Kalinga