Bhubaneswar: The STF of Odisha Police has seized a leopard hide and arrested one person for its alleged possession in Naygarah district.
Following reliable information about a deal to sell wildlife products, a team of STF personnel with the help of Nayagarh Forest Division officials conducted raid on a place beside the National Highway 57 near Khamarsahi under Dasapalla police station in the district on Sunday evening.
During the raid, the STF team apprehended Baikuntha alias Bairagi Behera, a wildlife criminal, of Sorada under Nuagoan in the district. They also recovered one leopard skin along with other incriminating materials from his possession.
As the accused person could not produce any document in support of possession of the leopard hide, he was arrested and forwarded to the court of JMFC, Dasapalla.
The STF has registered a case under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and will send the hide to Director, WII, Derhadun for biological examination, a press release of STF said on Monday.