Forest officials on Thursday seized a leopard skin and arrested a person for his alleged involvement in an illegal wildlife trade racket in Rairangpur of Mayurbhanj district. The skin is a 153-cm long and 31-cm wide.
The arrested was identified as Lakhman Nayak, a resident of Badbalichua village under the Bisoi police limits in the district. However, his associates managed to flee from the spot. “An operation is on to nab them,” said Rairangpur DFO Arun Mishra.
The forest officials had launched an undercover operation to bust the racket operated near Khejurikatas village.
“It was a big undercover operation, which was planned before six-seven months,” the DFO said.
It was suspected that the leopard had been hunted in the forest adjacent to the Similipal Biosphere Reserve.