Red Sand Boa Worth $71,000 Seized, One Person Arrested

Police seized a red sand boa snake and arrested one person in the Indian city of Mumbai on Sunday.

Red sand boa, a protected species registered under India's Wildlife Protection Act, are a species of non-venomous snakes that are endemic to India, Iran and Pakistan.

Navi Mumbai police said Tuesday that Prasad Jadhav, a 20-year-old man who was trying to sell the snake, was arrested and booked under the Indian Penal Code and Wildlife Protection Act for possession of the snake.

After receiving a tip-off, the police successfully seized the snake from a bus stand on Sunday. The snake was worth around Rs 50 lakh ($71,000) in the illegal wildlife trade market.

"The non-poisonous snake has a blunt tail with rounded tip. A rounded head similar to the shape of its tail gives rise to a misbelief that it has two heads and is used to cheat people by claiming that it will bring good luck," Navi Mumbai police’s assistant inspector Nilesh Rane said.

The police were trying to find out to whom the accused wanted to sell the snake, he added.

The protected species are often subjected to superstitious beliefs that lead to endangerment of the species. They are in high demand in the international market.