An eye-opening case of snake smuggling has come to light in Mumbai. The police have nabbed four culprits trying to sell a Red Sand Boa snake. Disguised as businessmen, the police orchestrated a deal with the smugglers. This revered snake is used in medicinal purposes and black magic.
According to sources, the authorities were tipped off about individuals attempting to sell a Red Sand Boa. Assistant Inspector Amit Devkar led a team, setting a trap near Maker Towers.
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Head Constable Prashant Sawant, posing as Gujarati businessman Rupesh Jain, negotiated with the smugglers. In preparation, he mastered basic Gujarati in just three days and held two meetings to finalize the snake deal.
Source: aajtak
Upon confirmation, the suspects arrived for the sale. The snake was concealed within a bag inside an Ertiga car's trunk. The prepped police squad seized both the suspects and the snake immediately. The four suspects have been identified as Narsinh Dhoti and Shiv Mallesh Adhap from Telangana, Ravi Bhoir from Mulund, and Arvind Gupta from Mumbra.
The police took the snake to the Thane Forest Department office. It was being kept in cruel conditions to bulk up and sell for a higher price. The snake, a natural consumer of soil and insects, was force-fed other substances.
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On receiving news of the snake smuggling, Constable Prashant Sawant was dispatched undercover as a potential buyer. The suspect Bhoir was coordinating with an informant during two meetings. They were lured with the promise of ready cash and appeared with a snake then expected to fetch 30 lakhs on the market.
Initially weighing 4kg 300g, the smugglers inflated the price to 5 crores, claiming the snake now weighed around 5kg. The police are on the lookout for another suspect, Michael, a broker who facilitated meetings with the two accused from Telangana and two others in Mumbai. All five stand charged under the Wildlife Protection Act.
