The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch on Saturday arrested two persons and seized a leopard skin and two elephant tusks from their possession. Receiving inputs about a sale deal for the leopard skin and elephant tusk by wildlife smugglers, an STF team conducted a raid on the Gania-Chamundia road near the Maa Kalapata Mandir in Nayagarh district and arrested the two persons and seized the leopard skin and two elephant tusks and other incriminating materials.
The arrested duo was identified as Ramesh Pratihari of Chakragada village in Cuttack district and Bimbadhar Tarei of Bethia Sahi village in Nayagarh. A case has been registered against them under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The seized leopard skin and elephant tusk would be sent to the Wild Life Institute of India, Deharadun, for chemical examination. In the last one year, the STF has seized as many as 13 leopard skins, nine elephant tusks, two deer skins, three live pangolins and five kg of pangolin scales. The agency has also arrested 27 criminals.