Anteater hide smuggling racket busted; 3 held

Three persons have been arrested here for allegedly being in possession of an anteater hide as police claimed to have busted a racket involving the smuggling of anteater hides to China, where it is used as an aphrodisiac in traditional medicine.
Acting on a tip-off, forest department personnel last evening intercepted a vehicle at Malliyampatti on a highway connecting Sathyamanglam and found the anteater hide inside a bag, an official release said today.
The three occupants of the car were arrested and handed over to police. Officials said that the trio revealed during questioning that they have so far smuggled anteater hide weighing a cumulative 2.5 tonnes.

During interrogation, the trio said that they were involved in the poaching of anteaters and smuggling of the hide to China, where it is used in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac, the release added.
They told forest officials that they used to dispatch the hides by courier in wooden boxes to a person in Chennai, labelling the package as 'Sabarimala (Lord Ayyappa temple) prasadam'.
Forest officials said further inquiries are on and they are searching for the Chennai-based man who would arrange for the smuggling of the hides to China.