BERHAMPUR: The forest department on Friday arrested four persons in a raid on an alleged deal of a leopard skin in Rayagada district. The accused were held near Kannapadu under Naira section of Gudari forest range on charges of possessing and attempting to smuggle the skin of a leopard, a protected wild animal.
Officials seized one leopard skin, four mobile phones and three motorcycles from the accused, identified as Maren Malik, Gouri Sankar Rana, Sriram Patra and Dilip Bidika.
Officials conducted the raid on the instructions of Rayagada divisional forest officer Sachin Annasaheb Ohol. Assistant conservators of forests Sachidananda Sethi and Satish Kumar Dharua, and Gunupur range officer Pradeep Kumar Acharya led the raiding team.
Forest officials are probing whether the leopard was hunted locally or its skin was brought from elsewhere for sale.
