Police in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal say they have arrested eight men involved in smuggling human bones and recovered 18 skeletons from them.

The men were arrested last week after police received a tip about a smuggling ring involved in removing bones from decomposing bodies taken from graveyards in Burdwan district of the state.

The men were being questioned to identify others involved in the trade, top police officer Anuj Sharma said Friday.

The bones are used by medical and science colleges to teach students. India was among the leading exporters of human skeletons and bones until the trade was banned in 1985. The ban has pushed the trade underground and smuggling rings are still trading in human bones, police say.