Wildlife racket busted; tiger, otter skins seized

NEW DELHI: With the arrest of seven persons from Maharashtra and Delhi, the country's premier investigating agencies claimed to have busted a wildlife racket and seized tiger and otter skins besides tiger bones from their possession.

The CBI and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in a joint operation carried out simultaneous raids in some places in Nagpur and Majnu ka Teela in Central Delhi and arrested seven persons for allegedly indulging in illegal wildlife activities.

In Nagpur, the team seized two tiger skins and 30 kgs of tiger bones from five persons while in Majnu Ka Teela, a duo was arrested with two leopard and five otter skins besides 4 kgs of Red-sanders, a precious wood, agency sources said.

The agencies were on the lookout for the accused for the last several months, they said, adding their names are being withheld for investigative purposes.

The sources said the arrest is being considered a major achievement as a financier and two middlemen have also been held which the agencies hope will help in nabbing "bigger fishes" in the wildlife racket.