The forest department officials on Monday arrested two persons in Bhubaneswar when they were striking a deal for Rs 1.5 lakh to sell a chameleon.
The racket was busted by a joint team of Bhubaneswar Range and Mancheswar Range officials. Two wildlife criminals hailing from Jagatsinghpur were arrested while striking a deal near Vani Vihar area of the city.
The accused duo has been identified as Rashmi Ranjan Das and Khirod Mohanty.
Manas Ranjan Mohanty, forest range officer, Bhubaneswar said, "The accused were planning to sell the chameleon for Rs 1.5 lakh. At 12 pm, we nabbed them at Mukherjee park when they were trying to sell the chameleon. We have booked him under the wildlife act.