Wildlife smuggler held with sand boa in UP

A wildlife smuggler was arrested with a sand boa (snake) in this district of Uttar Pradesh, policed said on Wednesday.

Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar said Niyaz Ali was arrested from Matiha turn in the Motipur area of the district on Tuesday.

His accomplice managed to escape, he added.

The sand boa recovered from Ali weighs about five kilograms and is stated to be worth Rs 1 crore in the international market, the officer said, adding the reptile is used for black magic.

The accused was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, Kumar said The snake has been handed over to the forest department, police said.

The demand of this snake species in some Southeast Asian countries is high. They are used in medicines, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics, the police said.

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