Nuapada: Forest Department officials on Sunday arrested a wildlife smuggler red-handed while he was selling a leopard skin. While five people have been arrested in this connection, two motorcycles and four mobile phones were seized from their possession.
According to reports, acting on a tip-off, Forest Department personnel raided a hideout of the accused in Nuapada while the accuseds were negotiating the price of a leopard hide with a customer. They arrested the five accused who tried to flee the spot seeing the Forest Department personnel approach the hideout. However, two other accused managed to flee the spot.
Forest Department officials said that the leopard skin is estimated to be that of a 4-year-old cat. Khadyal Forest Department official Aziz Khan informed the media on Sunday that the leopard was killed in Sita Nandi Sanctuary in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
