Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Three persons were arrested with a tiger skin in East Mandla late Saturday night, in a joint operation by forest teams from East Mandla and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Officials said the accused were trying to sell the skin when they were trapped by forest officers posing as buyers.
District Forest Officer (East Mandla) Pretha said two persons were initially detained with the tiger skin, followed by arrest of a third accused. Preliminary questioning revealed that others were also involved in the poaching. A search has been launched to trace them.
The accused claimed that someone else had killed the tiger, and investigators are now verifying this claim. Forest teams are also trying to determine where the tiger was hunted and what happened to its remaining body parts. The accused have mentioned Atreya village as the possible site of killing.
An officer involved in the operation said that the team carefully planned the trap to catch suspects red-handed. The statements of the accused are being recorded as part of the ongoing investigation.
