Bhubaneswar: A leopard skin smuggling racket was busted by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch on Wednesday with the arrest of three persons in Deogarh district.
STF SP Rahul PR informed that acting on a tip-off they apprehended three persons from Barkote area of Deogarh district yesterday evening and seized a leopard skin from their possession.
The accused have been identified as Sachikanta Nayak of Sundargarh and his associates Ramanisen Behera and Jagnadutta Behera of Deogarh.
Meanwhile, STF has initiated a probe to know if the accused have any external links, done a deal to sell the skin and to ascertain the source of the skin.
While Rahul denied identifying the accused persons as poachers, the details will be revealed after further interrogation and investigation, he added.