Two leopard skins, sambar antlers seized; six arrested in Nuapada

In a major crackdown on wildlife crime, officials of the Khariar Forest Division in Odisha’s Nuapada district seized two leopard skins along with sambar antlers during a series of raids conducted on Friday. 

At least six persons, including a father and his son, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to official sources, a Forest Department team first carried out a raid at Sardhapur village under the Boden Forest Range, acting on specific intelligence inputs. During the operation, officials recovered one leopard skin and two sambar antlers from the possession of the accused. 

Four individuals were arrested at the spot for their alleged involvement in illegal wildlife trade and possession of protected animal parts.

Also Read: Leopard skin trafficking racket busted in Odisha, traders from Maharashtra among 4 held

Following the initial arrests, the forest officials conducted another raid at a different location within the division. During this operation, another leopard skin was seized, and two more persons—a man and his son—were taken into custody. The seizures point towards the existence of an organised wildlife trafficking network operating in the region.

All the arrested persons have been booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and will be produced before the court. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the animal parts and to identify possible links with interstate wildlife smuggling rackets.

“A leopard skins and two sambar antlers were seized and as many as four persons were detained during the first raid. Following their interrogation, it was revealed that another leopard skin was hidden in Dharmabandha area of Nuapada district. In the subsequent raid, another leopard skin was seized and two more persons were arrested,” said Khariar DFO Azeez Khan.