NEW DELHI: Six members of a suspected international smuggling racket were arrested close to the Bhutan border in eastern India with an estimated US$15 million worth of snake venom hidden in school bags, officials said here the other day.
The suspects were riding two motorbikes and carrying bags containing three bullet-proof glass containers of the venom when they were arrested by police on Saturday in the Baikunthpur forest area of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.
“This haul is worth at least 100 crore (US$15 million) on (the) international market. There are three different containers with venom in coco-cola liquid form, white crystals and yellow granule form,” said PR Pradhan, divisional forest officer, Baikunthpur forest division.
The glass containers were stamped with “Made in France,” Pradhan said, adding that the arrested men said the consignment might have arrived from France before they picked it up from Bangladesh for delivery in Bhutan.
The venom is believed to be from a cobra but chemical tests are being conducted to identify the exact species, he said.
Jalpaiguri’s police chief Akash Meghariya said that the smugglers are being questioned about their links to an international syndicate.
Meghariya said they were arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, which bans the extraction of venom from protected snake species, including cobras.
