Six persons were arrested after being caught with 352 pangolin scales in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, a senior forest official said on Sunday.
The operation was conducted on the Padmarigi-Pandripani Road on Saturday, according to Malkangiri Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sai Kiran DN.
The confiscated scales weighed approximately 2 kg, the DFO stated, adding that three vehicles used for transporting them were also seized.
The pangolin is categorized as a Schedule I protected species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, rendering its illegal hunting, possession, and trade subject to severe legal penalties.
The DFO noted that a thorough investigation is currently in progress to trace the origin of the pangolin scales and uncover the broader network operating the illicit wildlife trade.
The latest enforcement action comes shortly after the rescue of five baby orangutans in Balasore, intensifying concerns that international and domestic wildlife trafficking syndicates are increasingly utilizing the state as a transit corridor.
