Athagarh: In yet another successful drive within a fortnight, forest personnel of the Athagarh Forest Division arrested a poacher on charges of shooting dead a leopard and seized its skin from his possession Monday evening.
He has been identified as Ichhananda Jani (30) of Patrabhaga village under Sagar Grampanchayat of Narsinghpur block in Cuttack district and seized the leopard’s skin.
Acting on a tip-off, a patrolling team comprising Athagarh DFO Sasmita Lenka, APR and Division mobile party nabbed Ichhananda in the Badamba- Narsinghpur border jungle when he was carrying the leopard skin in a sack bag and was taking to smuggle it.
When the forest sleuths searched the bag, they found the skin pierced with a bullet mark. After seizing it, the patrolling party arrested the accused, sent him with the skin to the DFO office.
Badamba Ranger Govinda Rath said after registering case, he has started investigation of the matter. When Ichhananda reached the Division Office, the DFO interrogated him and he confessed that he had shot the leopard at least a year ago from the Narshinghpur jungle and kept the skin in a tanning condition.
He has assisted by two other poachers with whom he had a share. The kingpin of these poachers is in Nayagarh whom they sold it at Rs 5 lakhs. More investigation and interrogation would be held today when the truth can be known, said DFO Lenka.
It may be noted here the forest officials under the direction of the DFO had arrested another poacher, Matia Swain November 15 from the Chandragiri Reserve Forest under the Narsinghpur East Range from whose possession two horns of a spotted deer and a country made gun were seized.
PNN