Baripada: Three wildlife smugglers were arrested and four leopard skins seized from them by forest department officials during a raid in Bahalda area of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Sunday.
A joint team of forest department officials from Baripada, Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) and Rairangpur arrested the trio for illegal possession of the leopard hides during the raid, sources said.
Acting on a tip-off about illegal trade of body parts of wild animals, the forest department officials carried out the raid at the village.
Interrogation of the arrested accused persons is underway to ascertain whether they had killed the leopards or procured the hides from some poachers. Investigation is in progress and further details are awaited.
The arrest came a day after the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch yesterday arrested a wildlife smuggler and seized three leopard hides and as many deer skins from him in Kalahandi district.
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