Officials of the CID forest cell caught a 38-year-old farmer and his associate for trying to sell 13 pieces of spotted deer horns and a trophy near Pavithra Vana on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Vishwanath, a farmer and his associate Vinod, 24, a labourer who had accompanied Vishwanath after he was promised to get a share .
Based on a tip-off about the accused trying to sell the horns, a team approached the accused posing as prospective customers and clinched a deal. After finalizing the deal, the police raided the place and arrested the accused while they were waiting in a van to deliver the horns.
The accused told the police that the horns were kept in the store room of their house for ages and his family had forgotten about it. The accused had stolen them from the house and wanted to sell it in the market to make some quick money for his vices. The police cross-checked the information and found that his grandfather had purchased them from Hakki Pikki tribe many years ago. Vishwanath and Vinod have been booked under The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
