Bhubaneswar: In a crackdown on wildlife body part trafficking, the Special Crime Unit (SCU) of Odisha Police apprehended three persons near Hotel Mayfair basti in Bhubaneswar and seized a leopard skin, Twin City Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh informed on Monday.
Addressing a presser, Singh said that a team led by DCP, SCU, Anup Kanungo conducted a raid, acting on specific intelligence inputs while a deal of Rs 30 lakh was being struck. “Investigation is underway to ascertain from where the skin was procured. Preliminary inquiry indicates that it was brought from outside the state and was to be sent towards Rourkela,” he said.
The CP identified Rohit Mohapatra (26) of Khandagiri as the main accused in the case registered under the relevant provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The other arrested are Manjit Sabat (21) of Bhanjanagar and Sambhu Bisoy of Khandagiri.
“Further verification of their criminal antecedents and network is underway,” he added.
