Venomous snake found in passenger's bag at Kochi airport

Kochi: A Gulf-bound passenger was barred from boarding his flight after CISF personnel found a venomous snake in his baggage, police said on Monday.

Sunil, a resident of Palakkad, had bought a packet of Chinese potatoes from a local farmer which had the reptile in it, they said. On Sunday evening, he was scheduled to leave for Abu Dhabi on an Air India Express flight but was stopped after the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel detected the reptile in his bag during checking at the airport, they added.

The CISF personnel identified the reptile as an Indian Krait, a venomous species.

The officials handed over Sunil to the airport police, however, no case was registered against him as the snake, small in size, was found in the packet bought by Sunil unsuspectingly, the police said. He was later let off, they added.