Rayagada: Forest officials seized two leopard skins and arrested four men in Rayagada district while they were attempting to smuggle the skins to Maharashtra, officials said Sunday.
The joint operation was carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, and the Rayagada Forest Division. Two of the accused are from Maharashtra and two are residents of Rayagada. They were produced in court late Sunday.
The arrested men were identified as Prabhakar Nayak and Raj Kumar Gupta of Matinagar, Maharashtra, and Jisaya Gamang of Anjarsing village and Mahesh Huika of Machhakhunti village under Gunupur block in Rayagada district.
The operation was led by Assistant Conservator of Forests Ashok Pradhan, with participation of Ranger Kameswar Achari, Forester Gauri Sahu and other staff. According to the Forest department, Jisaya and Mahesh arranged to sell the skins to Nayak and Gupta.
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The DRI tracked the group, and acting on specific intelligence, caught them red-handed Saturday.
Pradhan said the skins, believed to be of leopards aged between five and seven years, were sourced from Gajapati district and were intended to be smuggled to Maharashtra. The origin of the hides is still under investigation. In November 2023, the Special Task Force of Crime Branch had seized two leopard skins in Rayagada’s Chandili police limits and arrested two people.
According to the 2017 elephant and tiger census, forests under the Gudari, Muniguda and Kalyansinghpur ranges of Rayagada district housed 16 elephants and six leopards.
However, ACF Pradhan said the 2023-24 census did not record any tigers in the district. He added that elephants from neighbouring Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts are occasionally spotted entering Rayagada forests in search of food. Pradhan said the Forest department maintains regular awareness campaigns in rural areas to strengthen wildlife protection.
PNN
