India, June 2 -- The Mumbai Customs Department intercepted an Indian passenger at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Saturday for allegedly smuggling a large number of exotic reptiles and turtles into the country.

The forest department had informed the Customs officials about the alleged smuggler on Saturday. The accused arrived from Bangkok in Thai Airways and was intercepted based on his suspicious behaviour and the description provided in the tip-off. Officials checked his baggage and found three spider-tailed horned vipers (pseudocerastes urarachnoides), five Asian leaf turtles (cyclemys dentata), and 44 Indonesian pit vipers (trimeresurus insularis), out of which one had died.

The snakes are both liste...