A routine patrol at Bihar’s Gaya Railway Station turned into a high-stakes wildlife rescue operation when two men were caught red-handed with a dead Red Sand Boa – a snake valued at crores in illicit global trade. The Railway Protection Force’s swift action has dealt a blow to exotic animal smugglers operating in the region.
Eyewitnesses described the chaos on Platform 1B Tuesday evening: two youths, bags in hand, bolted at the sight of RPF officers. The alert team pursued and detained them, uncovering the shocking cargo during a bag inspection. The platform buzzed with disbelief as passengers learned of the rare, non-venomous reptile inside.
Speaking to reporters, RPF Inspector Banarasi Yadav revealed the suspects’ identities: Upendra Kumar, 28, from Jehanabad’s Makhdumpur, and Mohammad Sadulla, 32, from Gaya’s Amaraha village. ‘Preliminary questioning indicates they were transporting the snake for sale in underground markets fueled by occult demands,’ Yadav explained.
Experts from the forest department arrived promptly, confiscating the specimen. The Red Sand Boa, prized for its mythical ‘two-headed’ appearance in folklore, faces extinction due to rampant poaching. International syndicates exploit these beliefs, driving prices sky-high.
Legal action under the stringent Wildlife Protection Act is underway, with police vowing to dismantle the entire racket. This case underscores the vulnerabilities at India’s bustling rail networks, where smugglers disguise contraband amid millions of daily commuters. Enhanced patrols and inter-agency coordination could be the key to curbing such threats, safeguarding endangered species from extinction’s edge.
