Bhubaneswar: Acting on a tip-off, the Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday busted a racket in illegal wildlife trade by arresting two criminals from Sonepur. The STF has also rescued two live pangolins from their possession.
The accused have been identified as Bedabyasa Dharua (41) and Nabadeep Dharua (29) of Jhankarpali village under the Lachhipur police limits.
The STF along with Sonepur Forest Division personnel raided a place between Nachhipura and Sonepur main road under Lachhipura police station limits in Sonepur district and recovered two live pangolins weighing 7 kg and 3 kg respectively along with other incriminating materials. As the accused could not produce any authority in support of the possession of live pangolins, they have been detained and handed over to Sonepur forest officials. The pangolins have been handed over to DFO, Sonepur, for safe custody.
The Indian pangolin (Maniscrassicaudata), also called the thick-tailed pangolin, is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. It is a schedule-I protected animal under Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
