Guwahati, March 16: Customs sleuths seized the bones and skin of a Royal Bengal tiger from Maligaon here today and arrested a man in this connection.

An official source told The Telegraph that officials of the anti-smuggling unit of Guwahati customs division seized the 11-foot-long and seven-foot-wide skin from a shanty near Kamakhya railway station. 'The weight of the skin is 11.8 kg,' the source said.

He said 57 pieces of tiger bones, weighing 25.3kg, were also seized from the hut of Jagir Ram Babu, 45.

Babu, who hails from Rajasthan, has been arrested.

'He has been living here with his 13-year-old nephew for about a year. His nephew was also picked up for questioning,' the source said.

He said during preliminary interrogation, the accused said he got the tiger skin from a person at Barpeta Road in lower Assam and was looking for prospective buyers.

'But we are not taking him at face value as he is making contradictory statements. Further investigation and cross-checking of his statements are on,' the source said.

Though there is no fixed price for such items, a tiger skin can fetch nearly Rs 7 lakh in the Indian market and at least Rs 20 lakh in the international market, the source added.

He said Babu has been booked under the relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1952, and is likely to be produced in court tomorrow.

Customs sleuths are likely to file a prayer before the court to take him in custody for sustained interrogation.

The source said officers of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau had examined the skin and bones and it is suspected the bones and skin are of the same tiger.

'We suspect that the tiger was killed in Manas National Park. From the condition of the skin, it is believed that the tiger was killed 20 to 30 days ago,' the source said.

This is the second seizure of wildlife items by customs this month.