Four held for smuggling a red sand boa

The Civil Lines Police nabbed four accused for smuggling an endangered red sand boa snake. They were trying to sell the reptile for Rs 30 lakh.

Raipur (Chhattisgarh): The Civil Lines Police along with the cyber cell team has arrested four Kerala natives for smuggling a rare species of red sand boa. The accused had bought the reptile from Andhra Pradesh for 10 lakh rupees. In the international market, the price of the snake is estimated to be in crores.

The red sand boa snake is also known as the two-faced snake. The accused who priced the snake for Rs 30 lakh, were held in a joint operation by the cyber cell team and the Civil Lines Police. Five mobile phones and a four-wheeler have been seized from the possession of the accused. They have been handed over to the forest department by the police for further action.

On Friday, the cyber cell team had received informed that some people have brought an endangered species of snake and that they are staying in a rented house in Shiv Chowk of Purana Rajendra Nagar, which falls under the Civil Lines Police Station limits.

Based on the information, the Civil Lines Police and cyber cell team jointly took action and apprehended the snake traffickers. The four have been identified as Kiran RP, Raj Kiran, Rinu B and Sanil.