Customs officials handed Habeeb and the animals over to the forest department for further action
A red python seized by Customs officials at Chennai airport from a passenger on Friday. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: Customs officials and a few passengers ran for cover when four snakes came out of a basket being carried by an air passenger who arrived in Chennai from Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night.
The customs officials were checking the baggage of Habib Nashtar, 55, of Ramanathapuram district, when the incident happened. He was returning after visiting his son working in Malaysia and had told the customs officials he was carrying white rats and rabbits.
However, when the customs team opened the basket, they saw four small red pythons slither out of the basket to the utter shock of officials and passengers standing nearby. Further inspection revealed there were 3 big lizards, 9 big black spiders and 4 white rats in the ‘zoo’ of creepy crawlies being carried by the man.
Habeeb told officials he had brought the creatures to rear the species at home. Only later did he disclose that two men who met him at the Kuala Lumpur airport before he boarded the Malaysian airline had handed over the basket containing the rare species of animals. He was offered Rs. 5,000 to carry the basket to Chennai and give to a person waiting at the Chennai
airport.
The customs officials handed Habeeb and the animals over to the forest department for further action. Forest officials said that animals would be given to the zoo after a stipulated period of quarantine.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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