The Khadakpada police in Kalyan busted a gang of five on Monday, allegedly involved in selling rare sand boa snakes. Deputy commissioner of police (Kalyan) Sachin Gunjal said, “Senior police inspector Sarjerao Patil of Khadakpada police station and his team got to know about the gang coming to Kalyan for selling rare Sandboa snakes. The team laid a trap, arrested five people and seized Sandboa snakes worth Rs 70 lakh in total from their possession.”
The accused have been identified as Nilesh Hilim, Chetan Kamble, Arvind Pandit, Vishal Thackeray and Anil Katela. They have been arrested under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and were presented in the Kalyan court on Monday.
According to Gunjal, the Sandboa is a rare species and is sold at a higher rate because it is used for black magic rituals and also in making energy medicines.
