Bhubaneswar: Continuing its crackdown on wildlife trafficking, the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch seized skins of two leopards and two deer and nabbed two persons from a forest in Dasapalla police station area of Nayagarh district on Sunday evening.
Acting on reliable information about illegal sale of leopard and deer skins, the STF conducted a raid at Giripuja forest last evening. The police nabbed two accused Pratap Kumar Nayak of Sakin village and Kishore Chandra Dehury of Dedhasura village under Dasapalla police limits. The STF also seized two leopard skins and two deer skins and other incriminating articles from their possessions.
The STF on Monday arrested the two after they could not produce any valid documents in support of possession of the skins and produced them before Dasapalla JMFC Court.
A case has been registered under Sections 379, 411 and 120(B) of IPC and 51 of Wild Life (Protection) Act,1972. The seized skins will be handed over to Wild Life Institute of India, Dehradun for chemical examination. Further investigation is on in this connection, said a statement issued by the STF.
