Bhubaneswar: Customs officials at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) seized exotic wildlife smuggled from Bangkok to Chennai on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, officials searched the luggage of a Chennai-bound passenger and found nine California king snakes, 10 pig-nosed turtles, and 12 Nile monitor lizards, three of which were dead. The animals were concealed in chocolate boxes.

Customs officer Injeet Kumar Mohanty confirmed the passenger was detained for questioning.

Preliminary investigation revealed the wildlife was intended for illegal sale in Chennai.

The seized animals were handed over to the forest department for further action. Authorities are continuing their probe into the trafficking network involved in this attempt to smuggle endangered and exotic species into India.