5.5-ft snake checks in, police officers run for cover

16 November,2011 08:18 AM IST |   |  Vinay Dalvi

Work did not resume at Turbhe police station till a constable trained by forest officials came to the rescue of cops


Work did not resume at Turbhe police station till a constable trained by forest officials came to the rescue of cops
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Cops at the Turbhe police station, used to dealing with hardened criminals and petty offenders, found themselves helpless in the face of a slithery 5.5-feet Dhaman that crept into the police station compound in Navi Mumbai.


Gotcha: After stalling work at the Turbhe police station all morning, the
pale brown snake was caught and released into the jungle in the afternoon


Officials had to seek the help of a constable trained by the forest department to catch reptiles to be rid of the snake. For over an hour, the work at the police station was brought to a standstill, until the constable caught hold of the serpent and released it in the jungle.

Constable Sunil Borade, who was about to report to work last morning, spotted the snake in the compound while entering the police station. Borade ran and informed the staff about the snake on the station premises.

"I saw the snake. It was over five feet long. It managed to slip away but it was right at the gate of the police station and could have entered inside in seconds," said Borade.

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Faced with the reptilian threat, work at the police station did not resume until afternoon, when Senior Inspector Prakash More approached Constable Anil Suryawanshi of the Nhava Sheva police station who has had some experience in catching retiles. By the time Suryawanshi arrived, everybody at the police station was ready with sticks to attack the snake.

"Suryawanshi reached the police station in no time on his bike. Within 10 minutes he managed to grip the snake, and released it in the jungle," said a police officer from Turbhe police station.

Every year, Turbhe police station gets submerged in knee-deep water during the monsoon, and drowns when it pours relentlessly. Criminals and important files have to be shifted to other police stations due to the consistent annual water woes.

The station is likely to be relocated as soon as the Home Department releases the funds for it.

The serpent
Dhaman or Oriental Ratsnake Ptyas Mucosus is a common species of colubrid (mostly harmless temperate-to-tropical terrestrial or arboreal or aquatic) snake found in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Growing to nearly 2 m in length, they are large snakes and their colour varies from pale brown in dry regions to nearly black in moist forest areas. They are frequently found in urban areas where rodents thrive.
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5.5-ft snake checks in police officers run for cover