E-Paper
20-yr-old held for trying to sell red sand boa in Panvel
A 20-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trying to sell a red sand boa in Panvel on Sunday.
A 20-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trying to sell a red sand boa in Panvel on Sunday.
After assistant inspector Nilesh Patil, with the Panvel city police, received a tip-off, the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Navi Mumbai crime branch caught Jadhav from Panvel bus depot.
According to the police, a team of forest officials and police officers confronted Jadhav and searched his bag. The police found a 2.8-foot red sand boa, weighing 500g.
The high value of the snake is owing to a superstitious belief that it brings prosperity and wealth.
“During interrogation, the accused, a waiter, claimed to have found the snake in his hometown in Mangaon, around 100km away from Panvel,” said Ravindra Budhwant, senior police inspector, Navi Mumbai ANC.
The police will now ascertain if he smuggled the snake through someone or found it as he claims.
Jadhav has been booked for cheating and other relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. He has been remanded in police custody for a week.
Meanwhile, the boa was released at an undisclosed location by forest officials, said police.
