An intelligence-based anti-poaching operation by the state forest department, code named "Operation Safe Passage", has led to seizure of two tiger hides and pangolin scales from two motorcycle-born wildlife traffickers in a forest in Kanker district in north Bastar, a forest officer told this newspaper on Monday.

The two tigers whose remains were seized are believed to belong to Indravati National Park, once the hotbed of Leftwing Extremism, in Bijapur district in south Bastar, the forest officer said.

"Details of the incident cannot be disclosed at this stage since we are currently in the process of busting a major international wildlife trafficking network active in the jungles of Chhattisgarh", the forest officer said, unwilling to be quoted.

Sources said that eight people have been detained for interrogation following inputs given by the two arrested alleged wildlife traffickers.

"We are expecting the seizure of more tiger hides based on these inputs", the forest officer revealed.

Indravati National Park had an estimated tiger population of around six.

Tiger census could not be conducted in the Indravati National Park last three operations due to Naxal menace.

The tiger census in the current exercise has also remained incomplete so far and is expected to resume in October this year when the entire national park will be free from Maoist influence, sources said.

The anti-poaching drive was undertaken following inputs on poachers' movements in the jungles of Chhattisgarh by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), sources said.

"Indravati National Park has become heaven for the poachers", environmentalist Nitin Singhvi said.

Recently, poachers had set on fire a big patch of the Raja Bungalow forest in Dantewada district in south Bastar to kill wild animals.