Darjeeling: At least 2.5 kg of snake venom worth Rs 30 crore was recovered from West Bengal's Siliguri district on Sunday. The seizure was carried out by forest department officials from the Ghoshpukur area of the Phansidewa development block in the district late on Saturday, officials said.
Following inputs, the accused, Mohammad Sarafat, who was transporting the venom by a two-wheeler, was nabbed by the personnel near National Highway 31. Sarafat, identified as a resident of Khurai in North Dinajpur district, was going to smuggle the substance to Nepal, forest officials noted.
"The jar contains a tag from France. The accused will be taken into custody and further investigation will be carried out," Ranger Sonam Bhutia said. Forest officials further said that the venom had entered India from France via Bangladesh, adding that the role of any international smuggling unit was being probed. A similar incident in September 2021 had seen forest officials seize venom worth Rs 13 crore from the neighboring Jalpaiguri district.
