4 held tribals for bid to sell tiger nails, teeth

Four tribals, including a woman and her son, were arrested for allegedly possessing large number of nails and teeth of tiger and leopard and trying to sell them in their village near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, police said.
Based on an information, a group of forest and police officials, in plain clothes, posed themselves as prospective buyers and sought nails and teeth from the woman of Bokkapuram.
While negotiating, three persons, including the woman's son, all haling from villages surrounding the tiger reserve, showed them eight nails and four teeth of tiger and 17 nails and four teeth of leopard, police said.

All the four were arrested for possessing them, an offence under the Wildlife Act.
Investigations were on to find out the source of supply and whether the arrested tribals indulged in poaching the animals, police said.