Bahraich (UP), Nov 17 (PTI) A wildlife smuggler was arrested with a sand boa (snake) in this district of Uttar Pradesh, policed said on Wednesday.

Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar said Niyaz Ali was arrested from Matiha turn in the Motipur area of the district on Tuesday.

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His accomplice managed to escape, he added.

The sand boa recovered from Ali weighs about five kilograms and is stated to be worth Rs 1 crore in the international market, the officer said, adding the reptile is used for black magic.

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The accused was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, Kumar said

The snake has been handed over to the forest department, police said.

The demand of this snake species in some Southeast Asian countries is high. They are used in medicines, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics, the police said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)