47 pythons seized at Trichy airport from passenger arriving from Malaysia

NEW DELHI: Customs officials at Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) airport in southern India seized 47 pythons from an Indian national arriving from Kuala Lumpur.

The pythons and two lizards were concealed in the passenger's baggage.

The reptiles were seized under India's customs and wildlife protection laws and will be sent back to Malaysia, local media reported on Monday.

The male passenger, who hails from Chennai, arrived on a Batik Air flight on July 29.

Wildlife smugglers often try to bring exotic reptiles to India from South-East Asia.

In April, Chennai airport authorities found 22 snakes in the baggage of a woman who arrived from Kuala Lumpur. - Bernama