India, June 2 -- A man at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, after arriving from Thailand, was caught carrying 48 venomous snakes and five turtles, a customs official said.

The passenger was intercepted by customs officials on Saturday night after he got down from a Bangkok-originated flight, news agency PTI reported.

After discovering the 48 highly venomous viper snakes and five turtles, a team from Resqink Association for Wildfire Welfare assisted in the identification and handling of these species, he added.

Among these snakes were three Spider-tailed horned vipers, highly venomous and targeting only small prey like birds, as well as five Asian leaf turtles, an AFP report said.

As per the provisions under t...