CHENNAI: Customs officials at the Chennai airport seized 402 baby iguanas and arrested a male passenger who was attempting to smuggle them on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, they intercepted a man from Tamil Nadu who had attempted to exit via the green channel. He had arrived on a flight from Thailand.

When questioned about the two carton boxes he was carrying, the passenger said that he had brought a few toys and chocolates for his children. However, as they were suspicious, the officials opened the boxes and found hundreds of baby iguanas inside.

Following this, the Wildlife Control Bureau was alerted and officers arrived at the Chennai airport and held inquiries with the passenger. They decided to send the animals back to Thailand since they were brought illegally and it was not safe to allow them inside the country.

Out of the 402 baby iguanas inside the boxes, 67 had died due to suffocation.

The officials removed the dead animals and sent the remaining 335 iguanas to Bangkok on Monday morning.

The passenger has been arrested and further inquiry is under way.