Maharashtra: Three caught while smuggling Sand Boa snake in Satara

KOLHAPUR: On Wednesday, through secret information received, the Satara forest department in Maharashtra laid a trap and caught three persons at Shirwal area in the district while they were trying to sell an Indian Sand Boa snake.
The snake is priced in crores and is considered to be 'double-faced', used in black magic acts, thus inviting poachers behind it.
Honorary wildlife warden for Satara, Rohan Bhate, who is also a member of the wildlife crime control bureau in India said, "I had come to know through secret information that few people have caught a sand boa snake and are trying to sell the snake near Shirwal.Knowing the seriousness of the incident, I informed range forest officer Sachin Dombale (mobile team, Satara) after which a trap was laid near a veterinary college on Shirwal to Lonand road.
On Wednesday at around 5pm, three people on a bike (MH 11 BF 2954) were found suspicious. The forest team caught them and when investigated, an alive Indian Sand Boa snake of 141cm length and 2kg 300 gram weight was found with them. The three accused have been taken into forest custody and further investigation is ongoing," added Bhate.
Indian Sand Boa snake falls in the Schedule 4 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the three accused -- Ravindra Kangale (42) from Shirwal, Aniket Yadav (24) from Masur and Santosh Kate (42) from Bhambre village near Umbraj -- have been taken into custody and their bike and three mobile phones have been seized.
This action was taken under the guidance of deputy conservator of forests Satara Mahadev Mohite by range forest officer (mobile team) Sachin Dombale, range forest officer (Khandala) Mahesh Patil, forest ranger Dipak Gaikwad, Rahul Jagtap, forest guard Vijay Bhosale, Ananda Jagtap and police constable Suhas Pawar.
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