The accused were arrested on the charge of poaching pangolin (scaly anteater), a critically endangered wildlife species. Scales weighing about 2.5 kg were seized from them.

Superintendent of Police M.N. Nagaraj told presspersons here on Sunday that based on a tip-off that a group of peoplewere trying to sell the scales, Hospet sub-division staff headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police K.V. Jagadish and sub-inspector K. Nagamma, went to University Road and arrested them on Saturday.

On interrogation, the accused said that there was a belief that the scales had medicinal properties and could cure arthritis, fever, venereal diseases and skin disorders and added that there was a great demand for them.

The police suspect that the wildlife trade was part of a large network with links in several places, including Bangalore, New Delhi and Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh. A detailed investigation is being taken up.

Prior to the arrests, naturalists and wildlife activists in Hospet and Bellary, along with Forest Department officials and guards in Kamalapur, had been patrolling the area for several months but were not successful in catching the hunters. The accused placed snares around the pangolins' burrows to catch them. They also used dogs to trace the animal's scent and trap them, wildlife warden Santosh Martin told The Hindu.

The pangolin is a critically endangered mammal listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

In 2000, a complete ban on international pangolin trade was adopted by parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.