Nayagarh: The special task force (STF) of the Crime Branch, who had seized two leopard skins and arrested the mastermind of a poaching racket at Ranpur in Nayagarh district on Friday, forwarded him to the JMFC Court on Saturday
SP of Crime Branch STF, Prashant Kumar Bhoi identified the accused as Laxmidhar Nayak, a resident of Jamubandha village near Chandpur.
The SP said STF had received a tip-off that Nayak was to strike a deal to sell the tiger skins at Rs 2-3 lakh. Following this, STF personnel disguised as customers caught him red-handed in Sana Maninag forest area.
Bhoi informed that this is the first time the STF has caught the mastermind of a poaching racket.
The seized skins & bones will be sent to Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for chemical examination, he added
Also Read: Two Held For Illegally Trading Leopard & Deer Skins In Odisha
