Guwahati: A team of the Assam Rifles, in collaboration with the Mizoram Forest Department, recovered 64 kg of Indian pangolin scales worth Rs 64 lakh in Mizoram's Champhai district on Sunday.

Two smugglers, identified as Rosiamliana (40) and Nazarene Thanga (31), both residents of Zokhawthar, were apprehended during the operation.

The joint team, acting on specific intelligence inputs, launched an ambush near Crossing Point Three, Zokhawthar, along the India-Myanmar border. The smugglers were attempting to transport the pangolin scales, packed in five cartons, to neighbouring Myanmar when they were intercepted.

A spot check was conducted in the presence of two independent witnesses and Forest Department officials, leading to the seizure of the wildlife contraband. The apprehended individuals and the seized scales were handed over to the Forest Department for further investigation and legal proceedings.