Why are smugglers eyeing the sand boa?

Last week two young men suffered grievous injuries after a vehicle hit their bike on Kalanagar Bridge Bandra East minutes after they had rescued a rock python that had been cut sewn and painted to give it the appearance of a Red Sand Boa The rescuers alleged that the accident was an attempt by snake smugglers to steal the reptileIn September the Property Cell of Thane Police had arrested a man with two sand boa snakes which were to be sold for Rs 45 lakh One of the snakes weighed around one kg while the other 800 gm However no further links were established about the kingpin behind itIt has remained a mystery why the red sand boa is so popular in the illegal trade circles Some believe it possesses supernatural powers The snake is known as the mandoolmandul or dutondya the one having two mouths the scientific name being Eryx Johnii It is also referred to as Double Engine as its head and tail give the same appearance The snake is found in India Iran and PakistanThe snake is a burrowing species and prefers loose sand that crumbles easily into which it burrows living underground It feeds on rodents geckos and frogs and some species feed exclusively on other snakes The most important characteristic of this snake which makes it more popular and rather safe is that itrsquos nonvenomousThese species are protected in India under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 Poaching Trading attracts sections 9 11 39 48 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act along with other relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 if they have been harmedAdvocate Pawan Sharma founder and President of RAWW Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare Mumbai and Honorary wildlife Warden says ldquoThe snake is found in many parts of our state especially in Western Ghats and around Nashik Malegaon and Dhule In my career of 16 years I have seen its value ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2 crorerdquoHe adds ldquoThe smugglers or the tantriks tell people the snake which weighs 2 to 25 kg attracts wealth and luck So the farmers who catch these snakes overfeed them and we have found bolts and stones inside the snakersquos body They die soon afterrdquoA tantrik who claimed to be an astrologer on condition of anonymity spoke with midday about the myth surrounding the mandool He says ldquoMany believe that this snake has supernatural powers that can bring them not only luck but wealth and prosperity in their business Some believe that the spinal cord of the sand boa is useful for vashikaran controlling someone by a spell Also there is a belief that if proper rituals are followed the snake can produce lsquomoney rainrsquordquoThere are also claims that the secretion from the snake can be used to regain the vigour for sex life and cure AIDS But medical science hasnrsquot proved it yetTherefore the snake has remained at the centrestage of smuggling and illegal trade Hundreds of such touts gets arrested by Mumbai Police every year Sanjay Surve a recently retired Senior Inspector who spent most of his service in the Crime Branch says ldquoItrsquos usually the middlemen who ate caught There is no fixed supply chain or racket as the snake is found in abundance People who are in business trouble fall prey to these toutsrdquoMany of the potential buyers get looted while en route to buy the snake ldquoRecently one buyer was robbed during the journey However when we got this tip and reached out to him he refused to register a complaint fearing getting a bad namerdquo says a senior police officerHonorary Wildlife Warden Sunish Subrimanian founder of Plant and Animal Welfare Society PAWSMumbai says ldquoThe root cause of this illegal trading is cost How can you quote a price for a reptile Sofirstly the police should stop claiming what the sand boa is worth We need to sensitise people about itrdquoRs 45LThe amount for which two snakes were to be sold in September