Chennai, July 3 : Officials of the Chennai Air Customs seized 107 live spiders in a postal parcel at the Foreign Post Office (FPO) at the Anna International airport and later deported them back to Poland.

A statement from the Office of the Commissioner of Customs here said based on information Customs officials intercepted a postal parcel that arrived from Poland at FPO on suspicion of containing some arthropod/invertebrate species.

The parcel was addressed to a person based in Aruppukkotai in Tamil Nadu.

The officials opened the parcel and found a thermocol box in which 107 small plastic vials wrapped in silver foil and cotton were found.

On examination live spiders were found inside each vial.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials and scientists of Zoological Survey of India were called to identify the species.

Based on morphological examination they suspected the spiders to be of GenusPhonopelma and Brachypelma which are CITES listed Tarantulas, native of South, Central America and Mexico.

The Animal Quarantine Officials recommended to deport the parcel containing the spiders to country of origin as the said import was illegal as there was no DGFT license and health related documents of import into India.

The spiders were seized under the Customs Act, 1962 read with FT(D and R) Act.

The parcel containing the spiders were handed over to postal authorities to deport to Poland, the country of origin.

Further investigations are under progress.(UNI)