19 March,2016 02:40 PM IST | | Chaitraly Deshmukh
Two youths from Kolhapur planned to sell snake poison worth Rs 1 crore in Pune and Mumbai and buy a farmhouse from the proceeds. The duo has been arrested by Pune police
Trying to make a quick buck by selling snake venom proved poisonous for two youths from Kolhapur. The duo was arrested for possessing the liquid - believed to be snake venom worth R1 crore - which they planned to sell in Pune as well as in Mumbai. After selling the liquid, the men had planned to purchase a farmhouse.
The arrested accused claimed to have collected the snake venom from Cobra and Bonas snake breed from Chandrapur district
Mayuresh Suresh Patil (31), resident of Icchalkaranji in Kolhapur and his accomplice Vijay Rajaram Kumbhar (35) of Gadingaj in Kolhapur, were held by the Pune city police under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. A case has been registered with Dattawadi police station, which falls under the jurisdiction of Pune city police.
Inspector Shreedhar Jadhav, in-charge of Dattawadi police station said, "We found the duo moving suspiciously in the Sinhagad road vicinity. Accordingly, we laid a trap and detained them late on Thursday evening.
Later, when we checked their bags, we noticed a can of steel in which we found some substance. On Friday, we had samples of the liquid tested at a pharmaceutical firm that makes medicine from snake venom. We arrested the men after it was confirmed that the liquid is snake venom."
The firm reportedly told the police that the seized liquid was snake venom. "The venom is of one litre in quantity and its price in India is worth R1 crore. However, we would send the samples to a forensic science lab to get confirmation on which snake breed it belongs to," Jadhav added.
Sub-inspector Dattajirao Mohite, who is investigating the case, said, "One of the arrested accused, Mayuresh Patil, has a criminal past and has been involved in a murder case in Kolhapur and was convicted by the court. In 2013, he was released on a parole of 90 days, after which he did not return to Kolhapur prison. An absconding case has been filed against him in Kolhapur."
Mohite added, "They claimed to have collected the snake venom from Cobra and Bonas snake breed from Chandrapur district. Such venom is used for curing cancer patients. The duo wanted to make good money by selling it in Pune and Mumbai. After selling the liquid they had planned to purchase a farmhouse in another district and get settled."
