Overview
- Customs officers at Mumbai’s CSMIA intercepted an Indian national arriving from Bangkok on May 31 and discovered 52 live reptiles concealed in his checked luggage
- Seized species comprised three Spider-Tailed Horned Vipers, five Asian Leaf Turtles and 44 Indonesian Pit Vipers, of which one perished during transit
- Mohammed Hanif Shahul was arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, and a formal seizure report was filed on June 1
- The reptiles are protected under CITES Appendix II and India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, prompting a deportation order from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
- Investigators are probing the trafficking network’s Southeast Asian source and the intended recipient in Mumbai