CHANDRAPUR: A team of forest officials rescued two red sand boas and its hatchling from illegal captivity of a doctor in Durgapur adjacent to town on Wednesday. A dead snake of the same species and a tortoise was seized from the residence of Dr Vijay Gedam during the raid.

Due to its peculiar anatomy, the boa is believed to be a two-headed snake. According to superstition, both the boa and tortoise help in finding treasures. They are traded illegally for lakhs of rupees.

RFO (Patrolling) RB Rohankar said the raid was carried out on the basis of a tip-off. The boa is listed under Schedule-4 of the Wildlife Protection Act. Activists of wildlife organization Eco-Pro helped forest officials to rescue the snakes during the raid.

Wildlife activist Bandu Dhotre of Eco-Pro said the doctor appears to have been breeding and selling the snakes since long. "He had prepared a special room to keep the snakes captive. The room had black soil mixed with compost so that snakes could have natural habitat. A couple of months back, five hatchlings of Red Sand Boa had crept into the adjacent house, but were rescued by local snake handler," he said. He said that a bag full of yellow metal chips (fake gold chips) too have been recovered from Dr Gedam's possession.

Dhotre said the boa is a non-venomous snake. "It is valued for having two heads, but in fact, its tail resembles its head. This feature helps the snake confuse predators," Dhotre said.