Forest Department personnel seized six tiger and leopard skins and arrested five persons here.
The accused were identified as Kuna Nayak, Ranjan Nayak, Bhuban Nayak, Niranjan Nayak of Tuamula Rampur of Kalahandi district and one Sana Bissoiy of Dasmantpur, Koraput district. Three more persons are involved in the racket who are yet to be arrested, said DFO Swayam Mallik in a Press meet here on Tuesday.
Following allegations of illegal trade of tusks and animal skin, the DFO had constituted a special team under Forest ranger D Mohapatra, forester JP Bissoiy, with twenty forest guards nine months ago. The team received information that some persons of Kalahandi district were planning to sell tiger and leopard skin, teeth, bear nail and paw to Koraput based traders. The price demanded for each leopard skin was `50,000. The forest officials arrested the accused when they came to deliver the consignments.
As per information gathered from the arrested persons, the body parts are of tigers and leopards poached from T Rampur forest area in Kalahandi district.