Meerut, June 8 -- In a crackdown on a wildlife trafficking network, Saharanpur police have arrested a man accused of orchestrating a multi-crore fraud scheme by promising high returns on the sale of protected Red Sand Boa snakes popularly known as two-headed snakes. The accused allegedly used forged documents to conceal his real identity and convinced victims that the protected reptiles possessed extraordinary medicinal and commercial value. Addressing a press conference at the Police Lines, SP City Vyom Bindal said that a police team led by Qutubsher SHO Santosh Kumar Tyagi was conducting a checking operation in the area on Saturday when the team held the accused, identified as Aas Mohammad, a resident of Shivdham Colony. During the operation, police recovered Rs.4.94 lakh in cash, a note-counting machine, a premium car, two Red Sand Boa snakes, 147 bundles of imitation entertainment bank currency notes, 145 bundles of blank white paper, and two forged Aadhaar cards from the accused. During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed that he and his associates were involved in the illegal trade of Red Sand Boa snakes. He told that the group had recently sold one such snake for Rs.15 lakh. According to the accused, two of his associates took Rs.5 lakh each from the deal, while the remaining amount, after expenses, constituted his share. Police said the Rs.4.94 lakh recovered from him represented the proceeds from the transaction. The accused revealed that he had procured a forged Aadhaar card in the name of "Ashu Goyal" to hide his real identity. Police have launched a manhunt for the accused's absconding associates. htc...