Nabarangpur: Forest department officials busted a pangolin scale smuggling racket in Nabarangpur district Friday and arrested three persons in connection with this.
The arrested men have been identified as Santiraj Ganda (42), Babula Pattanaik (20) and Ashok Majhi (25) of Jeypore area in Koraput district.
According to a source, the department officials were tipped off by the special squad about a deal and accordingly they conducted a raid on the spot in the forest Friday where the three persons were found holding a gunny bag in a suspicious manner. Though the trio tried to flee the spot with the bag, cops chased and nabbed them.
The pangolin, weighing about 12.6 kg and 43.5 inch length, was rescued from the gunny bag by the policemen.
Later, during interrogation, the three confessed that they had come to sell the animal to a person from Raipur for Rs 5 lakh and were waiting for the buyer.
PNN
