Five held for selling wild lizard blood as Viagra

Bengaluru: Koramangala police arrested five persons accused of trafficking wildlife lizards, that are killed to create dubious “Viagra-like” medicines, under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Shakthi, Ivatta Reddy, Karuna, Mayalaraju Chintamani, Gopi are the arrested persons while the kingpin of the lizard trade identified as Ramesh, was still at large.

According to police, the consignment of ten spiny-tailed lizards, endemic to the deserts of Rajasthan was supposed to be sent to Hosur.

Police said that several Bengaluru techies were major clientele for the dubious aphrodisiac concoctions prepared by using the blood of the live monitor lizards. The meat too is used to prepare fried snacks.

A veteran wildlife activist said that these lizards are protected schedule-2 species and killing them is a criminal act.