Forest officials arrested four persons near Varkala during an alleged attempt made by them to smuggle a red sand boa on Friday. Two vehicles that were used by the gang were also seized during the operation.
The accused persons, were identified as K. Dinarajan, 43, Jayaprakash, 43, and M.A. Nidhin, 26, all hailing from Karunagappally, and Binu K. Sam, 32, of Ayiroor. They were apprehended at Kallambalam while they were allegedly on their way to a resort in Varkala to apparently sell the reptile.
The operation was conducted on the basis of a tip-off received by Assistant Conservator of Forest (Forest Intelligence Cell) B. Santhosh Kumar and Thiruvananthapuram Flying Squad Divisional Forest Officer J.R. Ani. They received reliable information that Varkala was becoming a hotspot for wildlife trafficking.
According to Palode range officer S.V. Vinod, who led the team along with Chullimanoor flying squad range officer Balakrishnan Nair, the gang travelled as two groups, one in a luxury vehicle and the other in an auto-rickshaw inside which the products to be traded were stored. “This was to ensure that the second group that transported the smuggled product could get away unnoticed if the car which proceeded in front was obstructed by sleuths,” Mr. Vinod said.
However, with the Forest officers being privy of the modus operandi , such a tactic came to a naught, as both the vehicles were blocked simultaneously.
