Watch | Woman found traveling with 22 snakes, chameleon at Chennai airport
The passenger was detained by customs officials at the Chennai airport on Friday after she was found traveling with 22 snakes of different species and a chameleon, Chennai Customs said.
The passenger, who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on flight AK13, was carrying the reptiles in her checked baggage.
“On 28/04/23, Customs detained a pax that arrived from Kuala Lumpur on flight No. AK13. During the search of her checked baggage, 22 snakes of various species and a chameleon were found and seized under the Customs Act, 1962 r/w Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” Chennai Customs said in a tweet.
According to officials, 45 pythons, three marmosets, three-star tortoises and eight corn snakes were recovered by the Chennai airport customs department in a similar incident earlier in January.
The wildlife species were found after two unattended bags found near the baggage claim belt of a person arriving from Bangkok were examined on January 11. According to customs officials, they were deported to Bangkok on January 12.
