Two more arrested in leopard skin seizure case in Odisha

Berhampur (Odisha), Sep 2 (PTI) The Odisha Forest Department has intensified its probe into the illegal poaching of a leopard by arresting two more persons from Gajapati district, an officer said on Tuesday.

The skin of the leopard was seized by the forest officials on Sunday from Gundurubadi in Jagannath Prasad range in Ganjam district’s Ghumusar North division.

With this, so far, nine persons, including a retired police officer, were arrested in the case, the officer said.

Based on the statement of the accused persons, a special team raided the house of Khetriya Mallick (45) in Gochhaguda. Khetriya was one of the seven accused arrested on Sunday.

The officials on Monday arrested two others - Sukhadev Mallick (25) and Lulu Mallick (29) - during a search operation at Gochhaguda village.

The officers seized four leopard teeth stored in a plastic bottle, arrows, single-shot firearms, various animal traps and a blood-stained sickle from the accused.

The seized items—especially the teeth and hide—are suspected to be linked to the poached leopard, they said.

According to forest officials, all animal organs will be sent for DNA profiling at the Center for Wildlife, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, to determine whether they belonged to the same animal or not.

Preliminary findings reveal the leopard was killed by shooting approximately a month ago, said Himansu Sekhar Mohanty, DFO Ghumusar North division.

He said further investigation is ongoing, with more arrests possible and all seized evidence being closely scrutinized. PTI COR BBM BBM NN