JHARSUGUDA/BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch has arrested three persons from Jharsuguda and Sambalpur and seized as many leopard hides from their possession.
The accused were identified as Sumit Kumar Patel of Kolabira in Jharsuguda, Krupa Sahoo of Sudupada village in Balangir and Aditya Patra of Jujumura in Sambalpur. The trio was arrested with the hides on Friday night.
While Sumit and Krupa were arrested from Malidhi Chowk in Kolabira, Aditya was nabbed from Palsamal in Sambalpur. Sources said acting on a tip-off, a team of STF with help of Jharsuguda and Sambalpur police conducted raids and nabbed the trio. During the search, three leopard hides and other incriminating materials were recovered from their possession. The accused could not produce any document to validate their possession of the leopard hides.
Sources in STF said the initial investigation suggested that the three arrested persons are middlemen. They had procured the leopard hides from poachers. Of the three hides, one has pellet wounds. The STF will send the seized hides to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for further examination.
“The leopards were possibly hunted down in Sambalpur district. Efforts are underway to identify the poachers involved in the killing of the big cats and smuggling the hides,” said an STF officer. The STF registered a case under sections 379, 411, 413 and 120(B) of the IPC and section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The trio was produced in court.