Leopard skin seized in Bhubaneswar, three arrested
The Special Crime Unit (SCU) of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police arrested three persons from the Jaydev Vihar area and seized a full-size leopard skin from their possessions.
Bhubaneswar: The Special Crime Unit (SCU) of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police arrested three persons from the Jaydev Vihar area and seized a full-size leopard skin from their possessions.
The arrested persons have been identified as Rohit Mohapatra, Manjit Sabat and Sambhu Bisoy.
Acting on a tip-off about a leopard skin deal, the Special Crime Unit under the leadership of DCP, SCU, Anup Kanungo, the police conducted a raid near a star hotel in the State Capital City yesterday around 5 PM.
During the raid, Rohit, the prime accused, and Manjit and Sambhu were arrested while they were finalizing a Rs 30 lakh deal for a leopard skin, informed Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh while speaking to the media persons.
All of the arrested persons have been booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and forwarded to the court, the Police Commissioner said adding that investigations are underway to determine the origin and intended destination of the hide.
However, the preliminary probe suggests that the leopard skin was procured from outside the state, he mentioned.
