Balasore: Forest department officials rescued as many as 26 cobras and arrested three persons of an alleged interstate snake venom smuggling racket from Panchupali area in Odisha’s Balasore district Wednesday, said a source.
The identities of the accused are yet to be disclosed.
According to the source, the raid was carried out by Balasore forest division officials acting on a tip-off by Snake Helpline.
The source added that the members of the racket used to extract venom from snakes that were caught from different locations in the state. The extracted venom was then sold at a very high price.
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Snake Helpline general secretary Subhendu Mallik informed that the rescued cobras were kept in specially designed plastic containers and it is suspected that more people are involved in this racket.
The investigation is underway and further details are awaited.
PNN