India: The Pune city police arrested a man for ‘illegal possession of a sand boa snake’ on Tuesday. Police have identified the suspect as Vishal Sudhakar Mate (25), a resident of Kalewadi in Purandar.

Acting on a tip-off to constable Ujjwal Mokashi of Bharati Vidyapeeth police station, a team led by sub-inspector Samadhan Kadam, along with forest guard Ravindra Dhanaji Magar, laid a trap and arrested Mate at Mangdewadi area in Katraj around 5.30 pm.

His accomplice Ajit Balasaheb Kale (20) managed to escape from the spot. During searches, the police team recovered a four-feet long sand boa snake from Mate. An offence has been registered against Mate at the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station under Sections of the Wild Life Protection Act.

Police said that sand boa (Eryx Johnii), commonly known as Mandul, was a non-venomous snake protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Its trade is illegal. But police said that people like real estate businessmen, astrologers, traders and celebrities purchased these snakes due to a superstition that they brought good luck.

(Source: Indian Express)