Although the forest department refused to confirm if it was a Sunderbans tiger skin, some forest guards said the skin looked "fresh", suggesting that the tiger had been killed less than two weeks ago. A probe has been started to identify a poaching racket that is suspected to be involved.

Acting on a tip-off from the forest protection committee in Kultali, a team of foresters led by Raidighi range officer Somnath Sarkar raided Purba Gurguria early on Wednesday.

First, they picked up Subhas Mondol, who had been to the Sunderban Tiger Reserve (STR) area for fishing last week. The team then raided his neighbour Subol Mondol's house from where a 195 cm-long tiger skin was recovered. Both were arrested and produced in Alipur court later.

"It seems they are part of a larger gang that operates in the area. They had entered the area in the guise of fishermen. But we can't say for sure if they killed a tiger and skinned it. We are going to send the skin to Hyderabad for a DNA test to confirm if it is a Sunderbans tiger," said Subhendu Bandyopadhyay, DFO, South 24-Parganas.

Conservationists and wild life experts said the incident yet again pointed to the fact that poaching hasn't been rooted out from the Sunderbans. "This shows that stricter vigil is needed. Two detected cases in less than six months is alarming. Poaching has never been rampant in the Sunderbans but that doesn't mean foresters can drop their guard," said Pranabesh Sanyal, former field director of Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Last October, a tiger carcass was found floating in the Nobanki river. It led to a CBI enquiry and transfer of several senior officials in the department.

"Encroachment and shrinking prey base have always made it difficult for the tigers in Sunderbans. Poaching has never been a big threat but this shows it has been happening. Frequent poaching will surely be the last nail in the coffin for them," said conservationist Belinda Wright.