Navi Mumbai: MSRTC employee caught with three snakes at Airoli

NAVI MUMBAI: An employee of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was arrested on Monday by the state forest department officials for illegally carrying three snakes, including a cobra, near Airoli railway station falling under the Navi Mumbai region in Maharashtra.
The accused, identified as Jaywant Sakpal (53), was arrested and remanded to forest custody till June 7. It was a joint operation by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), forest department (wildlife wing), along with NGOs Plant & Animals Welfare Society - Mumbai (PAWS-Mumbai) and Amma Care Foundation (ACF).
"We had got specific information that a person was near Airoli station with three snakes on him. After nabbing the accused, Sakpal, we recovered a cobra, a rat snake and a common sand boa. Sakpal works as a helper with MSRTC in Pen, Raigad district," said the range forest officer (Thane wildlife) Darshan Thakur.

Sunish Subramanian of PAWS-Mumbai commented: "Further inquiry is on to find out how this MSRTC employee got hold of the snakes and if any more accused persons are involved in this wildlife crime."

Subramanian further added that snakes are protected species under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hence, harming snakes or poaching them can invite a stringent punishment which includes a jail term.
Spectacled Cobra is protected species under Schedule II, Part II; Rat Snake is protected under Schedule II, Part II; and Common Sand Boa is protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Offence was registered under Section 9, 39, 48 (a), 49, 49 (a), 50 & 51 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.