The four were captured a village in Aceh province's Tamiang district on Saturday, three days after they were believed to have killed a four-year-old tiger. Lt. Col. Mirwazi of the Aceh police said late Monday that three of them were hunters while the other acted as the seller.
Police confiscated the tiger's hide and bones from the suspects.
He said the poachers used a deer trap to capture the tiger, so that its skin was not damaged.
Mirwazi said the suspects offered to sell the skin for 10 million rupiah (approximately $800) to police officers who disguised themselves as buyers after receiving tips from villagers about the poaching.
He said the four could be charged with violating a 1999 law on protection of natural resources, which carries a maximum five-year jail term.
Sumatran tigers, distinguished by heavy black stripes on their orange coats, are the most critically endangered tiger subspecies. About 400 remain, down from 1,000 in the 1970s, because of forest destruction and poaching.
