Two people allegedly planning to sell an adult royal Bengal tiger’s skin to an unidentified buyer have been arrested in Bihar’s Gaya, a forest department official said on Friday.
Gaya’s divisional forest officer (DFO) Rajeev Ranjan said they recovered the skin of about 10-year-old tiger from the two accused on Thursday.
Officials said they were probing the possibility of the involvement of a racket in supplying the skin and other tiger body parts to foreign tourists visiting Gaya. Traditional medicines made from tigers are believed to be among others cure loss of sexual appetite.
Officials said they were tipped off about a deal being struck for the tiger skin. They added they chased and stopped a car and found it hidden inside a bag.
The arrested smugglers, Abhinav Anand and Kundan Kumar, told investigators that they got the skin from a Jamshedpur woman. But they did not reveal the identity of the person who was to purchase it.
Senior police superintendent Ashish Bharti said a case for poaching and smuggling was registered against the two under the Wildlife Protection Act and that their judicial remand will be sought for further interrogation.
