Rare snake worth Rs 10 lakh rescued, three arrested

Allahabad: Three members of an inter-district gang involved in smuggling rare species of animals were arrested from near Lalapur-Bara trisection on Thursday while they were planning to smuggle out an endangered snake to Bihar.
The sand boa, a non-venomous snake carrying a price tag of Rs 10 lakh for myths like two heads and special powers, was found in a blue bag inside an SUV. It was rescued and handed over to the forest authorities.
The arrested trio have been identified as Tuntun Singh, Nitish Singh and Nanhak Singh, all residents of Bhojpur, Bihar. Police are looking for three other members of the gang — Munna Singh, Abhishek Singh and Vimlesh Singh, also residents of Bhojpur.
Lalapur station officer SK Singh told reporters that they acted on a tip-off that a group of men were planning to sell a rare snake to a customer.
“A team cordoned off Lalapur-Bara road and nabbed three members of the gang while the others managed to escape,” he said, adding that a case under the Wildlife Protection Act had been registered.