BHUBANESWAR: Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch arrested two persons near Rajakothi in Sonepur and rescued a pangolin from their possession.
Acting on a tip-off about the sale of pangolin, the agency sleuths conducted a raid on Saturday and nabbed Somanath Bag of Kapasira village and Marsalan Bhengera of Gindhilamal. They also seized 5.065 kg pangolin scales from their possession.
“The pangolin will be handed over to the Forest department. The seized pangolin scales will be sent to Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for examination,” said a STF officer.
STF has registered a case in this regard under Sections 379 and 411 of IPC and Section 51 of Wild Life Protection Act.
Initial investigation suggests that the duo procured the pangolin scales from forest region along the bordering areas of Sonepur and Sambalpur, said the STF officer.
Their mobile phones have been seized to carry out further probe, he added.