Mumbai Authorities Arrest Smuggler Caught with 44 Venomous Snakes

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A passenger who smuggled dozens of venomous vipers was apprehended after flying to the financial capital of Mumbai from Thailand, said Indian customs officials. The snakes, including 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were concealed in the baggage.

"An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested," said an Indian Customs official on Sunday night, June 1, 2025, as quoted by France 24.

The passenger, who was not named, also carried three Spider-tailed horned vipers. These venomous snakes typically only target small prey, including birds. Additionally, the man also brought five Asian leaf turtles.

The Mumbai Customs released photos of the confiscated snakes, including the blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket.

Such smuggled snakes are not common in Mumbai. Customs officers more frequently upload images of seized items like gold, cash, marijuana, or suspected cocaine pills swallowed by passengers.

However, in February, customs officers at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five siamang gibbons, small apes native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

These small animals, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were concealed in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, said customs officials.

In November, customs officials seized a passenger carrying a live payload of 12 turtles, and a month earlier, four hornbills, all aboard a plane arriving from Thailand. In September, two passengers were arrested with five juvenile caimans, reptiles in the alligator family.

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