Two policemen and seven others were arrested while planning "sorcery" with a tiger skin in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, an official said on Monday.
The arrests and seizure of tiger skin was made on Sunday evening in Vishrampuri area of Kanker, 130 kilometres from here, Chief Conservator of Forests (Kanker circle) JR Nayak told PTI.
"The nine were planning to perform sorcery with the tiger skin after believing it would bring them wealth. They were looking for a tantrik to perform some rituals," he said.
"A forest department staff posing as a tantrik got the group to prepare for rituals at a house. It was then raided and the accused arrested, the tiger skin seized along with four motorcycles and 11 mobile phones," he added.
He said the tiger was around 3 years old and may have been killed in the forests in Bijapur in October.
On November 29 this year, the forest department got inputs that some people were possessinga tiger skin in Bijapur, following which a special team of Anti Poaching Unit and dog squad of the department swung into action, he said.
Those arrested were identified as Balram Mudma (22) and Sameer Mudma (23), natives of Bijapur district, Tukaram Lonhare (47), Kanhaiya Thakur and Kundal Sori (50) of Kanker, Panchu Ram Dhruv (47) and Mansingh (22) of Kondagaon district and two constables- Ratansai Tirki (38) and Mahesh Lakra (32) who were posted in Kondagaon, he said.
They were held under sections of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
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