CHENNAI, June 15, 2014

P. OPPILI

In a joint operation, officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Southern Region, along with State Forest Department authorities, seized a tiger skin in Coimbatore. Four persons were arrested.

S.R.V. Murthy, Deputy Director, WCCB, said he received specific information that a person who was keeping a tiger skin was looking for a prospective buyer.

Mr. Murthy said the skin was kept in a house in Brindhavan Nagar, Karumathuppatty in Coimbatore.

On Saturday morning, a team led by G. Chandra Sekaran, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Vigilance, Coimbatore, seized the skin and secured the four persons.

They were identified as M. Thiru Vignesh (21), P. Manisekharan (50), R. Radhakrishnan (26) and T. Vignesh Kumar (22) of Coimbatore.

The officials said the arrested were also in possession of a tusk.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the skin was brought from Karnataka, Mr. Murthy said.

Further investigation is on.

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