The CID forest mobile squad of Mysuru unit on Tuesday caught a 68-year-old farmer and his associate, a 43-year-old vegetable vendor, for allegedly trying to sell leopard nails.
The accused have been identified as M.R. Lokesh from Sakleshpur, a farmer, and his associate Ashok Ganape Gowda, a vendor from the same area.
Based on a tip-off, a team of officials posing as customers approached the accused and caught them red-handed with eight nails. The accused told the police that they found the dead leopard in the mangogrove a few years ago and removed its nails before disposing off the body. The accused said that were looking for the customers to sell the nails.
However, the CID officials suspect that they might have killed the leopard, taken out the nails and pelt before disposing the carcass. The police booked the duo under the Protection of Wildlife Act and are probing further to ascertain the facts.
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