Pangolin scales worth over Rs 40 lakh in the illicit wildlife market were seized from three persons on Saturday in Thane's Mumbra area, police said.
Pangolins, or scaly ant-eaters, are hunted for their scales due to a misconception that they cure a wide variety of diseases.
In India, this species is completely protected and its hunting prohibited, as it is included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
"Accused Vikram Jadhav, Balkrishna Jogle and Anil Ghadge have told us they procured the pangolin scales, worth Rs 40 lakh, from Guhagar in Ratnagiri. We are probing the network," said Inspector Madhukar Kad of Mumbra police station.
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