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Mumbai customs officials arrested a woman who came to the city from Bangkok on Friday for attempting to smuggle 13 wildlife species — from snakes and tortoises to lizards — into the city.
There has been an increasing trend of smuggling exotic wildlife species to the country as there is a high demand for rare and exotic pets due to which they attract high value.
An official said that on Thursday, based on specific intelligence, customs officers at the Mumbai International Airport intercepted a Thane-based woman arriving from Bangkok.
The passenger was carrying 66 corn snakes, 31 hognose snakes, 4 yellow anacondas, three yellow footed tortoises, two red footed tortoises, three albino snapping turtles, 26 armadillo lizards, two iguanas, four water monitor lizards, 11 bearded dragons and two raccoons.
“The wildlife species were concealed inside trolley bags carried by the passenger who was arrested under provisions of the Customs Act and Wildlife Protection Act,” an official said.
An official said that flights coming from Bangkok are especially under the scanner as there is a high demand for these rare species that are available at cheaper rates there and are then sold at higher rates in India.
The official added that rare and exotic pets and hydroponic weed are two of the most smuggled items on the Bangkok-Mumbai route due to which they remain on high alert.
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