Darjeeling, July 23: Two men were arrested and around 1,000 live beetles seized from them here today in an indication that Darjeeling is fast becoming a centre of illegal wildlife trade.

The beetles, most of which are Tiger Beetles, were apparently collected from Kalimpong and Lava. A Tiger Beetle is worth between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000 in the international market.

The arrested men ? Sarad Chhetri (33) and Ram Prasad Chhetri (43), residents of 6 Mile and Darjeeling town, respectively ? were sub-agents of bigger racketeers.

Sarad told police that he began collecting the beetles in June. “A certain Sherpa from Kalimpong asked me to collect them, promising to receive them in August. I don’t know his full name; we spoke mostly over the phone.”

He and Ram Prasad had been promised anything between “Rs 150 and Rs 200” for every beetle.

Tiger Beetles are in demand in China and Latin America, especially for use in traditional medicine.

“We believe these species are in demand also in Japan and Korea,” said V.K. Sood, divisional forest officer, wildlife (1).

Although these beetles are not endangered species, the size of the seizure suggests the illegal trade could threaten the region’s ecosystem, officials said.