Bhubaneswar: A joint team of Snake Helpline and Balipatna Forest Range officials rescued 11 cobras from a market at Basantmala village in Khurda district today.
As per reports, acting on a tip-off the team conducted a raid at the market and rescued the snakes, while the person possessing them was able to flee from the spot.
The rescued snakes include nine monocled cobras and two binocellate cobras which are classified as reptiles under Schedule II (Part II) of Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and hunting them could attract imprisonment up to seven years along with penalty.
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It is suspected that the snakes were being trafficked outside the State for their venom, which is in high demand for manufacturing of some life-saving drugs.