Baripada: Forest department officials arrested four wildlife smugglers and seized a huge quantity of pangolin scales from them in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday.
The seizure was made during a raid at Kendumundi village in Karanjia area of the district. Apart from over 3.6 kg of pangolin scales, the forest department personnel also seized an autorickshaw and four mobile phones during the raid.
Four persons, identified as Gouranga Mankadia, Manik Deogam, Matu Ho and Salai Sidu, have been arrested by the team in this connection.
The accused persons have been forwarded to judicial custody at Thakurmunda.
Pangolins and their scales are most trafficked wild animals in the world, forest officials said.