Thiruvananthapuram: Popular snake catcher Vava Suresh said that the forest officials are stopping him from catching the snakes. He alleged a WhatsApp group is active to campaign against him.

Earlier, people from Pathanamthitta, Ranni and Konni used to call. Someone has told them not to call me. The people did not inform me of the presence of 8-10 king cobras there. They told me that they have been instructed by higher officials not to call me, Suresh said.

Suresh was bitten by a cobra at Kurichy in Kottayam district in January 2022 while catching it without proper tools. Following this, the forest department had demanded that he must undergo training and use the tools.