Bhiwandi: The Kongaon police in Bhiwandi have arrested four people for illegally smuggling tiger skin and nails. The arrested accused claim the skin was smuggled from rural parts of Konkan and were about to sell to a customer in Mumbai.
The police said on April 20 the Kongaon police team received information about a few people coming near Basuri hotel, Thakur pada on Mumbai-Nashik Highway. The police had information about the four coming with tiger skin and nails and were trying to settle and deal, which was illegal.
However, Ganpat Pingale, senior police inspector, Kongaon police station along with Abhijeet Patil, assistant police inspector, along with the team laid a trap and arrested them. Along with wildlife experts, the raid was conducted and skin and nails were recovered.
The police said the arrested four are identified as Prashant Singh, 21, Chetan Gauda, 23, Aryan Kadam, 23, all residents of Bhakti park near Wadala and Aniket Kadam, 25, a resident of Pratiksha Nagar in Sion Koliwada.
The Kongaon police in Bhiwandi have registered a case against them under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. "We have arrested the four who were produced in court and remanded in police custody till April 25. They claim it was brought from some rural part of Ratnagiri district. We are verifying the facts. And they were about to sell it in Mumbai," said Ganpat Pingale, senior police inspector, Kongaon police station.
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