Two suspected tiger skins seized in Maharashtra; seven arrested

Two suspected tiger skins were seized from seven persons, who are allegedly involved in a racket of animal skin trade, police said on Tuesday.

The skins were recovered in last four days from the possession of locals Vijay Shetke, Amit Patil, and Santosh Shinde. They were placed under arrest last week, Dilip Sawant, Superintendent of Police told reporters in Sangli.

After further investigations, Sanjay Dudhal, Basavraj Rajput, Nikhil Patil and Mehboob Attar were arrested for their alleged involvement in the smuggling racket.

All the accused were produced before a court and were remanded in police custody till March 20 after the last arrest on Sunday.

Prima facie, it looks as if these are genuine tiger skins and we have informed the wildlife department officers to verify, Sawant said.