BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch arrested a wildlife criminal within Jankia police limits in Khurda district and seized a leopard cat skin from his possession.Acting on a tip-off, the agency’s officers conducted a raid near Haja village on Sunday night and nabbed Umesh Rath with the leopard cat skin.
Leopard cats are Schedule-I protected animals under the Wild Life (Protection) Act.“This is for the first time that a leopard cat skin has been seized in Odisha. The hide will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for examination,” said a STF officer.The officers suspect the leopard cat was hunted as a pellet wound was found on the hide.
Sources said the accused was possibly a middleman and he was engaged in illegal trading of wildlife articles but the agency’s officers are verifying the details. STF has registered a case in this connection under Sections 379, 411 and 120B of the IPC and Section 51 of Wild Life (Protection) Act and further investigation is continuing.