Smugglers code: I love Anna

The Jaipur police,posing as customers,have arrested a pair of smugglers who were attempting to sell panther skin to the police. Curiously enough,the password set by the smugglers during the transaction to identify themselves to the buyers was: I love Anna.

Vidhayakpuri SHO Chandra Purohit,who was part of the police team posing as customers told The Indian Express that they had received information that the duo were trying to sell off a 5.5 foot-long panther skin for Rs 3.25 lakh. We received information that some buyers were ready for the transaction. But,on Thursday,we reached the spot of the exchange before the actual buyers. The smugglers had decided that the buyers would identify themselves with the phrase I love Anna, Purohit said.

The duo,Parvej Khan,35,and Vasiuddin,28,and the actual buyers had never met and hence the pass code. The police believe the duo has been active for at least four years in the region and that one of the accused himself was a hunter.