Kannur: Forest officials have busted a seven-member wildlife trafficking gang and seized tiger skin, claws and teeth during a late-night operation in Kerala’s Kadirur area.

The arrests were made after the Forest Department received a tip-off on Friday night about an illegal deal involving wildlife body parts. Acting swiftly, officials tracked three suspects near a school and recovered the tiger skin and other parts, which were allegedly brought for sale.

The first arrested were Ashwin from Eruvatti, along with Sandheesh and Balan from Cheruvanchery. Further questioning led to the arrest of four more — Sharath K K from Kallikandy, Rajeesh from Mangad, Vithul from Cheruvanchery and Rakhil from Malal.

Forest Range Officer Nithinraj T said a veterinary examination confirmed the seized items belonged to a tiger, and the samples have been sent for DNA testing to identify the origin.

Preliminary investigation suggests the gang had links to poachers operating in Karnataka, and officials suspect the tiger may have been killed there. However, whether the accused sourced the skin directly from poachers is still under probe.

All seven accused were produced before a court on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody. The Forest Department is expected to seek their custody for further questioning as the investigation into the network continues.