Recently, Vibes of India reported about a tip about snake venom being supplied at rave parties that led the crime branch to a residential flat in Navrangpura in Ahmedabad. What officers uncovered inside the 10×12 room was not merely a suspected drug-linked trail, but what they describe as a far more elaborate and layered operation, an alleged illegal wildlife trade intertwined with venom extraction and supply, operating in plain sight in the middle of the city.
Now, more details have come to light.
Behind the door sat a makeshift breeding setup. Cages packed with rare birds. Exotic mammals. Animals that had no business being inside a residential building. From the cluttered room, 50 exotic species were rescued. Investigators believe that behind the cages ran an illicit network of sourcing foreign snakes, extracting their venom, and funnelling it into rave parties where the lines between thrill and danger blur. The venom allegedly went to such parties in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and beyond.
The main accused, 41-year-old Manikanandan K Nadar, was arrested on Sunday after the raid. Police say he had allegedly been running the operation for six to seven months. According to reports, the business was allegedly inherited from his father, and his family’s links are now under scrutiny.
Staggering Count
The seizures told their own story. Officers found a rare red-handed tamarin infant, seven Persian cats and kittens, 14 hamsters, 15 mini lop rabbits, and nine Netherland dwarf rabbits. The bird count was staggering: six African grey parrots, five blue and gold macaws, three eclectus parrots, four sun conures, two galah cockatoos, one sulphur-crested cockatoo, and several lovebirds, cockatiels, budgerigars, and finches.
Among the animals found crammed inside were also a baby red-handed tamarin, African grey parrots, blue-and-gold macaws, Persian cats and Netherland dwarf rabbits.
These were not cheap pets. The accused allegedly sold animals for anywhere between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh, depending on the breed. His clientele was reportedly affluent buyers with farmhouses around Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Sources said that one dose of venom from psycho-fauna such as snakes for recreational use sells for as high as Rs 50,000.
An official said there are several ways abusers get high on snake venom — they get themselves bitten by small snakes, ingest a couple of drops, or inject it into the bloodstream. The recreational use of snake venom — rare and highly risky — has been sporadically documented in India.
Experts note that certain components can induce altered consciousness, mood shifts, lethargy and blurred vision, though its psychoactive effects remain scientifically contested and its health dangers severe.
It is suspected that Manikandan had branched out into the procurement of foreign snake species for supplying their venom and extracting it, which was allegedly diverted to exclusive, invitation-only rave gatherings in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kheda and even rural pockets beyond.
It has emerged that imported snakes were allegedly sold to certain pharmaceutical entities, while venom extracted from select species was supplied for rave parties.
A senior crime branch officer told a section of the media that they had found credible leads suggesting that the accused were involved in procuring foreign snake species and extracting venom. The officer added that they were verifying whether the consignments had been routed through customs channels and whether there was any collusion.
Officers say they have information indicating an organized operation possibly winding through several states with multiple points of entry and distribution.
The Chennai Link
Many consignments may have been shipped through Chennai. A probe into his alleged connections with customs officials in Chennai is also underway. Police have written to customs to verify the import-export trail and examine whether there was any collusion. Investigators are sifting through bank records, call data and seized digital devices to map the scale of operations.
They are also looking into whether some animals were illegally exported or imported without declaration and into the accused’s background.
An officer said that earlier, Surat SOG had arrested a man from Ahmedabad in a similar racket involving snake venom supply to parties in Surat and Ahmedabad, and they were probing whether the Navrangpura accused was linked to that case or operated independently.
When confronted earlier by a neighbour who objected to the animals being kept in a residential building, Nadar had claimed to hold a temporary permit issued by a forest department officer from Gandhinagar.
The raid, however, told a different story. Officers found no valid permissions for commercial breeding, no regular health certifications, and no scientific housing infrastructure. Documents uploaded on the PARIVESH portal appeared incomplete and suspicious. It’s learnt that there was no evidence of veterinary monitoring or quarantine systems of any kind.
A senior crime branch officer told a section of the media that keeping such wild and exotic species in large numbers inside a congested residential area, without any biosecurity safeguards, posed serious zoonotic disease risks — diseases that can jump from animals to humans.
The forest department has been made the complainant in the case and had filed the initial wildlife complaint. The case has now drawn in multiple agencies. Customs are examining the import-export trail of exotic species, while the forest department is reviewing documentation uploaded on the PARIVESH portal after finding entries incomplete or suspicious.
Joint Probe
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the forest department, and customs will jointly probe the documentation, the legality of imports, and the potential public health risks posed to residents of the building. Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officials are assessing public health risks posed by unsanitary housing of dozens of exotic animals, conditions that carry a high risk of zoonotic disease transmission.
Also Read: Snake Venom Tip Leads Police To Illegal Exotic Animal Breeding Unit In Ahmedabad https://www.vibesofindia.com/snake-venom-tip-leads-police-to-illegal-exotic-animal-breeding-unit-in-ahmedabad/
