NUAPADA: Forest officials arrested five poachers and seized wildlife articles including a leopard hide from them at Dabri village in Khariar block.
The accused are Tekchan Majhi (26), Jayram Majhi (44), Gorekh Lal (65), Purna Majhi (23) and Sachindra Majhi (19). Two other poachers are still at large. The forest officials seized wildlife articles including a leopard hide, a horn of Sambar, a Hyena jaw, a country made rifle, firecrackers and two arrows from the accused.
Briefing mediapersons on Friday afternoon, Khariar DFO, Aziz Khan said, forest officials raised a few houses in Dabri village on October 15. “We recovered a leopard skin with claw, a sambar horn and a lower jaw of what appears to be that of a Hyena following the raid on three houses in the village. Subsequently, five persons were detained during interrogation confessed to have poached the animals.”
He said the accused revealed that they had killed the leopard by laying a wire trap two years back. They later skinned the leopard and were looking for a buyer for the hide. All the wildlife articles will be sent for examination. A manhunt has been launched to nab the two other accused, Khan added.