Metropolitan Police Department said Nobukazu Kashiwagi, 41, was arrested Wednesday after he was released from a hospital, where he was treated for a bite to his finger from one of the snakes, the Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday.

Investigators said the 51 snakes, including the Africa-native eastern green mamba that bit Kashiwagi, were found in plastic cases that were stacked in the suspect's room.

A female acquaintance of Kashiwagi's was bitten by one of his snakes during a visit to his apartment last November, police said.