Gang arrested for possession of Indian pangolin in Vellore

Six persons were arrested by the Forest Department for possession of a young anteater at Odugathur village on the outskirts of Vellore town on Sunday.

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The Forest Department arrested six persons for possession of a young Indian pangolin at Odugathur village on the outskirts of Vellore on Sunday.

Forest officials said the arrested were identified as K. Ramraj, 36, V. Gajendran, 62, P. Gopal, 46, G. Madhavan, 54, and N. Pandian, 52, of Odugathur and S. Mani 45, a  a farmer of Jamunamarathur village in Jawadhu Hills of Tiruvannamalai.

A forest officials team tracked the movement of the main accused, Mani, based on Chennai-based Wildlife Crime Control Bureau‘s alert.

The initial inquiry revealed that Mani had been hiding the animal in his house. He then informed his friend Madhavan and the duo conspired to sell the animal. They met the other accused during their search for prospective buyers.

The forest officials got in touch with one of the accused, posing as prospective buyers. Subsequently, they were taken to Mani’s house, located on the fringes of a forest, where the team found the animal in a small cage.

Based on the orders of Vellore District Forest Officer (DFO) Guruswamy Dabbala, the team arrested the six accused. A case was registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. They were produced before the local court and lodged at the Central Prison in Vellore. A probe is under way.