Four arrested with leopard skin in Odisha's Rayagada district
Forest officials seized a leopard skin, three motorcycles and four mobile phones during a raid near Kannapadu village.
Forest officials arrested four people on Friday during a raid near Kannapadu village in the Rayagada district of Odisha. The operation took place under the Naira section of the Gudari forest range following an alleged deal involving a leopard skin, according to reports by The New Indian Express and The Times of India.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Maren Malik of Kandhamal district, Sriram Patra of Ganjam district, Dilip Bidika, a retired teacher from Padmapur block, and Gouri Sankar Rana, a temple priest from Kannapadu. Rana was allegedly caught while attempting to flee with the skin.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Sachidananda Sethi stated that the team acted on a tip-off regarding the skin. The seized leopard skin measures 107 cm in width and 250 cm in length. Officials also confiscated four mobile phones and three motorcycles during the raid.
The raiding team included ACF Sachidananda Sethi, ACF Satish Kumar Dharua, and Gunupur range officer Pradeep Kumar Acharya. The operation was conducted under the instructions of Rayagada divisional forest officer Sachin Annasaheb Ohol.
Forest officials are currently investigating the origin of the skin to determine if the leopard was hunted locally or if the skin was brought from elsewhere. The department is also probing whether more people are involved in the suspected wildlife trafficking network.