In North Bengal, four kilos of snake venom that had been trafficked for Rs 5 crore were found late on Tuesday night.
Following a coordinated operation by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the West Bengal Forest Department, three people were taken into custody for smuggling in the northern region of West Bengal, close to Siliguri. Officials from the Forest Department believe that the recovered snake venom is worth about Rs 5 crore on the open market.Two specially constructed crystal jars, manufactured in France, held the venom.
Residents of Islampur in the North 24 Parganas District, Md. Tahid Alam (39), Md. Azmal (28) and Md. Shahnawaz (27), have been identified as the three people caught with the smuggled snake venom cargo.
On Wednesday afternoon, a lower district court will hear their presentation.
The accused individuals admitted under questioning that the snake venom was intended to be transported into China through Nepal.
Officials from the Forest Department acknowledged that the smuggling of snake venom is becoming more common in Siliguri and the surrounding districts.
On February 9, agents of the Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended snake venom that had been trafficked for a total of Rs 12 crore from Hili Village in the northern sector’s South Dinajpur District.
The BSF made an arrest in that instance as well, and the smuggled venom was kept in a specially-designed crystal jar manufactured in France.