Nabarangpur: A pangolin weighing nearly 9kg was rescued from Bagini village under Kodanga forest area under this forest division by a special team, Tuesday. The squad arrested wildlife trafficker Kamal Singh Goud, a resident of Junapani village under Kosagumuda block.
According to sources, acting on the instructions of Nabarangpur forest range officer Shubhendu Prasad Behera, the team led by Kodanga forest officer Purnachandra Nanda, along with forest guards Prabhat Bisoyi, Umashankar Panigrahi and Deepak Pradhan was formed. The team, comprising para staffers and officials, was alerted about the trafficking of the pangolin weighing 8.970kg last night, based on specific inputs. The team successfully apprehended the accused while he was attempting to sell the pangolin around 7am Tuesday. The pangolin, a motorcycle, and a mobile phone were seized from the possession of the accused.