Bhubaneswar, Mar 27: Forest officials of Odisha cracked a viper venom trading gang from the capital city Bhubaneswar today.

 A Forest enforcement squad caught six venom peddlers including a woman member from Patrapada area red handed with a bottle of viper venom from their possession. The squad nabbed them while they were striking a deal to trade viper venom for Rs 10 lakh here today

On getting information on the illegal trade, an enforcement squad comprising city range and Patrapada range officers spied at Jayadev Vihar, Niladri Vihar and Forest park area in the morning.

Meanwhile four masked youth reached  Jayadev Vihar Square at about 7.30 am to deal with the viper venom. A forest guard in disguise tactfully bargained with the traders in order to trace the venom from them. However, they misled the forest guard roaming hither and thither in the city. Ultimately, the masked youths showed the venom bottle to trade for Rs. 10 lakh at Patrapada, where the forest team captured them red handed.

Among the six accused, two youths are from Balasore, one from Balangir, one from Bargarh and two from Bhubaneswar.    

Details on the gang and their modus operandi are yet to be established, said a forest official.