Bhubaneswar: The SDJM Court, Bargarh on Saturday sentenced one Satyaban Sahu of Khajuria village under Bhatli police limits to three years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 after convicting him for the commission of an offence under section 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
According to an official press release, Sahu was apprehended by the Special Task Force (STF), Bhubaneswar on 24 November 2020. A leopard skin with other wildlife products was recovered from his possession.
This is the fifth case of STF where the accused has been convicted under the Wildlife Protection Act. Till date trial have been completed in five wildlife cases and all the cases have ended in conviction.
Worth mentioning that the conviction rate of wildlife crime cases in India is less than five per cent.
STF Odisha has undertaken special efforts to ensure that the investigation is of the highest standards. STF is the specialized wing of Odisha Police to curb organized crime as well as cases against wildlife in the State. Offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act is also one of the focus areas of STF.
The STF got the power/authority to investigate wildlife cases in 2018. So far, STF has detected 100 cases and has arrested 232 wildlife criminals. Major seizures by the STF so far include 58 leopard hides, 27 elephant tusks, 23 live pangolins, 42 kg pangolin scales, 2 tiger hides and 11 deer hides.
