In a suspected case of poaching, police in Assam's hilly Karbi Anglong district on Wednesday seized 16 teeth of tigers and arrested four persons.
Assam police headquarters in Guwahati said the four were arrested during an operation launched by police based on intelligence inputs about the movement of some suspected poachers.
The four suspected poachers were caught with the tiger teeth at Birla under Diphu police station in Karbi Anglong district, about 500 km from Guwahati.
"All four are suspected to be involved in smuggling of animal parts. An investigation is underway to divulge further details from them," said an official.
Police said they suspected the four to be smugglers of rhino horns as Karbi Anglong shares a border with the Kaziranga National Park, the home to the largest number of one-horned rhinos. Poaching of rhinos is a serious concern in Assam, particularly in Kaziranga.
The recovery of tiger teeth came as a surprise to the police which also suggested the presence of a gang of smugglers targeting the Royal Bengal Tigers found either in the jungles of Karbi Anglong or in Kaziranga.
The recovery comes on a day Kaziranga was opened for tourists.