3 held, snake venom smuggling racket busted in Jharkhand’s Palamu

Medininagar, Nov 21 (PTI) A joint team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Forest Department claimed to have busted a snake venom smuggling racket in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, and arrested three persons for their alleged involvement, an official said on Friday.

The team recovered around 1,200 gm of snake venom and 2.5 kg of pangolin scales, he said.

Satyam Kumar, the District Forest Officer of Medininagar, told PTI that the arrests were made following raids conducted on Wednesday based on a tip-off.

The accused, including an elderly man and his son, were sent to judicial custody on Wednesday.

Many others are likely to be involved in the racket, and the raids were continuing, the DFO said.

“The seized venom is valued at around Rs 80 crore, while the pangolin scales are estimated to be worth Rs 15-20 lakh,” an official said. PTI RPS RBT