Latest news with #Siamang
Daily Tribune
3 hours ago
- General
- Daily Tribune
Snakes on a plane: Indian smuggler caught with venomous vipers
A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said. The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were 'concealed in checkedin baggage', Mumbai Customs said in a statement late Sunday. 'An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested,' it added. The passenger, details of whom were not released, also had three Spider-tailed horned vipers -- which are venomous, but usually only target small prey such as birds -- as well as five Asian leaf turtles. Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket. The snakes are a relatively unusual seizure in Mumbai, with customs officers more regularly posting pictures of hauls of smuggled gold, cash, cannabis or pills of suspected cocaine swallowed by passengers. However, in February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were 'ingeniously concealed' in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said.
IOL News
19 hours ago
- IOL News
Snakes on a plane? Try 44 in a suitcase
Customs officers in Mumbai discovered dozens of venomous vipers, including rare Indonesian species, hidden inside the luggage of a passenger arriving from Thailand. A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said. The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were "concealed in checked-in baggage", Mumbai Customs said in a statement late Sunday. "An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested," it added. The passenger, details of whom were not released, also had three spider-tailed horned vipers - which are venomous, but usually only target small prey such as birds - as well as five Asian leaf turtles. Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket. The snakes are a relatively unusual seizure in Mumbai, with customs officers more regularly posting pictures of hauls of smuggled gold, cash, cannabis or pills of suspected cocaine swallowed by passengers. However, in February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, customs officers seized a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles, and a month before, four hornbill birds, all on planes arriving from Thailand. In September, two passengers were arrested with five juvenile caimans, a reptile in the alligator family.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Passenger stopped for smuggling over 40 snakes
Venomous cargo: Three spider-tailed horned vipers, five Asian leaf turtles and 44 Indonesian pit vipers were among the animals concealed in checked-in baggage. — Photo courtesy of Mumbai Customs on X A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said. The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were 'concealed in checked-in baggage', Mumbai Customs said in a statement late Sunday. 'An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested,' it added. The passenger also had three Spider-tailed horned vipers – which are venomous, but usually only target small prey such as birds -- as well as five Asian leaf turtles. Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket. The snakes are a relatively unusual seizure in Mumbai, with customs officers more regularly posting pictures of hauls of smuggled gold, cash, cannabis or pills of suspected cocaine swallowed by passengers. However, in February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were 'ingeniously concealed' in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, customs officers seized a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles, and a month before, four hornbill birds, all on planes arriving from Thailand. In September, two passengers were arrested with five juvenile caimans, a reptile in the alligator family. — AFP
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Snakes on a plane: Indian smuggler caught with venomous vipers
MUMBAI: A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said. The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were "concealed in checked-in baggage", Mumbai Customs said in a statement late Sunday. "An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested," it added. The passenger, details of whom were not released, also had three Spider-tailed horned vipers – which are venomous, but usually only target small prey such as birds – as well as five Asian leaf turtles. Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket. The snakes are a relatively unusual seizure in Mumbai, with customs officers more regularly posting pictures of hauls of smuggled gold, cash, cannabis or pills of suspected cocaine swallowed by passengers. However, in February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, customs officers seized a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles, and a month before, four hornbill birds, all on planes arriving from Thailand. In September, two passengers were arrested with five juvenile caimans, a reptile in the alligator family.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Indian smuggler caught at airport with 52 live venomous snakes and exotic animals
An Indian passenger allegedly trying to smuggle venomous vipers was held in Mumbai after flying from Thailand, customs officials in the western city said on Sunday. The man, whose identity wasn't revealed, had concealed 52 live animals, including 44 Indonesian pit vipers, in his checked-in luggage. Photos released by Mumbai Customs showed dozens of turquoise-coloured pit vipers squirming in a bucket and venomous spider-tailed horned vipers slithering. He was also carrying Asian leaf turtles, native to Southeast Asia and known for their distinctive camouflage of leaf-like carapace. 'An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested,' Mumbai Customs said, adding that they had seized 44 Indonesian pit vipers, three spider-tailed horned vipers and five Asian leaf turtles. One of the 44 pit vipers had died by the time the luggage was opened. The man, travelling from Bangkok, was intercepted after he 'exhibited signs of nervousness', The Times of india">India quoted the investigators as saying. The haul of live animals is a rare seizure in Mumbai, where customs authorities regularly seize smuggled gold, cash or drugs. However, this is not the first time they have found live animals flown into India. In February, Mumbai airport authorities found a smuggler with five endangered Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The apes were found concealed in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag. In April last year, customs officials in the southern city of Bangalore arrested a passenger for allegedly smuggling 10 yellow anacondas concealed in his checked-in bag. The passenger was flying in from Bangkok, Thailand. In September 2023, a passenger from Bangkok was found carrying six Capuchin monkeys, 55 ball pythons in various colour variations, and 17 king cobras in their luggage. The primates were found dead, but the snakes were still alive and were later sent to their country of origin.
