Two held for selling tiger skin worth over ₹40 lakh

They were booked under various sections Wildlife Protection Act and relevant sections of the Arms Act

Kalyan: The Crime Branch Unit 3 of Thane police station has arrested two men for allegedly selling a tiger skin worth more than ₹40 lakh from Kalyan-Shilphata Road on Sunday.

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The arrested accused have been identified as Sitaram Nerpagar, 51, a resident of Tulja Bhavani Nagar, Jalgaon, and Brijlal Saisingh Pawra, a resident of Shivpur in Dhule.

An official said that they received specific information from an informer on Sunday. They laid a trap at Kalyan-Shilphata Road and intercepted the duo in a car and found the tiger skin, one country-made revolver, and two live cartridges. During their questioning at the police station, they revealed that they had come to sell the tiger skin, one revolver, and two live cartridges worth ₹42 lakh.

A case was lodged under various sections Wildlife Protection Act and relevant sections to the Arms Act with the Manpada police station. The accused was produced in court and remanded to the police custody till January 25. The police said that they seized one four-wheeler. Naresh Pawar, Senior police Inspector, Crime Branch Unit 3, Kalyan of Thane police said, “We are trying to find out where they sourced the tiger skin and who was going to buy it and what amount had fixed.”