Mumbai Crime: Snake rescuer held for keeping reptiles illegally

The accused Amaan Abdul Sattar Khan

A snake rescuer was arrested by the Thane Forest Department - Territorial from Chembur for illegally keeping two star tortoises, one saw-scaled viper snake and a spider in his possession.

Range Forest Officer (RFO) Santosh Kank of Mumbai Range of Thane Forest Department (Territorial) and his team got a tip-off that the accused Amaan Abdul Sattar Khan had rescued snakes and kept them in his possession illegally without informing the forest department.

"On September 9, our team raided the house of the accused in Chembur and recovered the illegally kept reptiles. The accused was also arrested. We are going to intensify our search operations as we have received information that several snake rescuers have illegally kept snakes and other species in their possession," he said.

Two pythons rescued

In another quick rescue operation, two big Indian Rock Python's were rescued from a construction site in Mulund West. While responding to a distress call, Ravi Suryavanshi from NGO, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) rescued two python's form a construction site in coordination with the Forest Department.

President of RAWW Pawan Sharma told mid-day, "Both the snakes were rescued in the night, examined, found fit and released back in their natural habitat. Heavy rain in the past months has displaced several animals, birds, reptiles which were rescued, treated, rehabilitated by our team."

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