Thane Forest department arrests Panvel daredevil for the stunt in November, where he was bitten on the lip by the snake; sends him to five-day custody after producing him before court
Snake rescuer Ajay Pawar in the hospital after the snake bite
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Months after mid-day reported that Panvel-based snake rescuer Ajay Pawar alais AJ had been bitten on the lip while performing a stunt, he was on Thursday arrested by the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) and produced before a court that sent him to five-day police custody.
Also read: 'Rescuers' bitten by snakes they were trying to catch in Mumbai
Kunal Salunkhe, secretary Organisation for Wild Life Studies (OWLS), said, "A total of four NGOs from Raigad had complained against Pawar and other stuntmen from Maharashtra, a copy of which was submitted to chief conservator of forest, Nagpur, and the Thane Forest Department. We also followed up regularly."
Also read: Rescuers kill python while trying to rescue it in Thane
However, in April, the issue resurfaced when a Facebook post suggested that AJ had again got hurt when performing a stunt. He was even detained by forest department, but it turned out to be a hoax. At the time, he had given a written undertaking that he would not perform stunts.
Also read: Navi Mumbai man kisses rescued cobra, gets bitten and dies
On Thursday, he was booked under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Law in India - section 9, 39 and 48 of the said Act.
Sunil Limaye, chief conservator of forest, Thane (territorial), said, "We will take strict action against anyone found violating the law."
Flashback
On November 3, 2016, mid-day had reported that Ajay Pawar alias AJ had allegedly been bitten on his upper lip by a spectacled cobra on October 28 when he tried to kiss the snake on its hood in an act of daredevilry. He survived after he was rushed to Sion Hospital and later taken to JJ Hospital.
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