Three arrested with rare snakes in Noida

Three people were arrested with two rare species of snakes worth around Rs.2 crore in the international market in Uttar Pradesh's Noida town late Friday, police said.

Police made recovery of the rare snakes when the car the trio was travelling in was stopped for checking near the T-Series square in Sector 20 of the city.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur told IANS that the arrested men, identified as Sukhveer, Neeraj and Manoj, are from Barabanki district, some 30 km from the state capital Lucknow.

"They have confessed that the rare snakes were headed for sale in a Delhi market and that the price of the snakes was estimated to be about Rs.two crore in international market," Mathur said.

A case has been registered against the trio under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. Police are probing whether the arrested smugglers are part of a larger network. - IANS