The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch seized a live pangolin and arrested two wildlife criminals involved in its illegal trade in a village in Subarnapur district on Sunday.
The arrested were identified as Ashok Bisi and Jaykumar Patel.
Acting on inputs, the STF team, with the help of Binika forest officials, raided a place near Dunguripali Chhak under the Dunguripali police station and rescued the pangolin from the possession of the two accused.
Later, the police handed over the pangolin to the district forest officials for safe custody.
The Indian pangolin is a shy, slow moving, nocturnal mammal. It is a Schedule-I protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, under which offenders are made to pay heavy penalties, said the officials.