ADILABAD: Forest officials in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district on Sunday arrested two persons for illegally possessing and attempting to sell a live pangolin after a three-day operation.
According to officials, acting on a tip-off received on April 16, Forest Range Officer (FRO) Ch Ramesh of Jodeghat range conducted a preliminary enquiry and confirmed illegal possession of the animal.
A special enforcement team was then formed. Posing as buyers, the team contacted the suspects, Sathyanarayana and Athram Koddu of Pawarguda hamlet in Pangidi village, and learnt they were negotiating the sale of the pangolin to buyers from Sironcha, with links to a group in Chhattisgarh. The accused initially demanded `1 crore, later agreed to sell it for `30 lakh.
On Sunday, the team reached Pawarguda, where the suspects handed over the pangolin and were immediately arrested. The accused were produced before the divisional forest officer in Asifabad for interrogation. During the probe, officials identified five more persons suspected to be part of the trafficking network.
The accused were later produced before a court. Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network using mobile phone data and other evidence.