A special team of forest officials seized a tiger rug (skin) at Kannivadi Range Division during a surprise raid here on Friday.
Five persons — Kribanath Junius, Ponraj, Then Pandi alias Meenakshisundaram Haleel Rahman and Satya Kumar, were arrested in this connection.
Talking to presspersons here, District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh said that the seized taxidermy tiger rug was tempered by the Van Ingen, a taxidermy firm.
The company’s seal was affixed on the back side of the rug. (Van Ingen was a taxidermist lived in Mysore and died 2013.)
It was processed in 1970 and the nail was intact in the rug, he added.
The team intercepted at Salai Pudhur and secured them.
A car used by them was also seized.
Acting on intelligence information given by the Traffic India, a team comprising members of forest officials, members of Traffic India and PHCC intensified the raid for the past two days and arrested them.
Further investigation is on.
