By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 27 Oct: The State Forest Department has claimed that the secrets behind the illegal snake venom centre operating in Haridwar will soon be revealed as the Forest Department prepares to extract the full story from the mastermind who has been finally arrested. Preparations are also underway to test the venom recovered from the main accused, Nitin, whose arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case.
The Forest Department has confirmed that it has arrested Nitin, the main accused in the illegal snake venom centre case in Haridwar. The department considers his arrest, after he had been absconding for over a month, a major success in the case. Nitin is now in the custody of the Forest Department. He was allegedly arrested as he was trying to surrender in the court.
It may be recalled that an illegal snake venom centre in Haridwar was busted some time ago, where a large quantity of snake venom was found stored. The centre was running a network for extracting venom from snakes and selling it. Initial investigation revealed that the centre was operating without any permission. During the raid, the Forest Department recovered venom stored in several bottles, along with equipment and suspicious documents. After the raid, Nitin, the operator of the centre went on the run, prompting several Forest Department teams to conduct raids in Haridwar and surrounding areas.
With the arrest of the main accused, the department is hopeful that the entire network behind this illegal trade will be exposed. Interrogation of Nitin is expected to help determine the destination of the venom supply and whether any foreign network was involved. The Forest Department has sent the recovered venom to the Forensic Lab for testing. The arrest of Nitin after nearly 35 days is expected to gradually unravel all the mysteries surrounding this high-profile venom centre case in Haridwar.
Nitin has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody. The Forest Department is preparing to send the recovered venom to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) with the permission of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court. Divisional Forest Officer Haridwar Swapnil stated that if the investigating officer deems it necessary, efforts will be made to take the main accused into custody for further interrogation.
Very pertinent questions however remain unanswered so far. To possess a large stock of snake venom of different snake species, a large number of poisonous snakes are required and they must have been caught largely from the forests. If such a large number of the snakes were caught by the culprit and his team members, the question arises whether it was possible without active or passive connivance of the forest officials. A thorough investigation into this case from this angle is also required but the question is whether at all, such investigation will be conducted and action taken against the guilty forest officials.
