COIMBATORE: The Forest department nabbed three persons of a gang involved in the trade of sand boa in Salem on Monday. Acting on a tip, Salem DFO Kashyap Shashank Ravi deputed a team of officials to investigate. “The staff surrounded the four persons, who were found in two stationed cars. However, one among them identified as Ashok Raja from Tiruttani managed to escape,” said an official. Navaneethakrishnan from Rasipuram, who came to sell the sand boa and two prospective buyers Dinesh from Pannimadai in Coimbatore and Merlin from Kerala were taken into custody.