Dhenkanal: In a major wildlife haul, forest department officials seized two leopard hides, one deer hide, one tusk and other body parts following late-night raids at Kapilas Sanctuary and Kalaspur village under Kankadahad police limits Sunday.
The officials arrested three persons including a teacher for their involvement in smuggling of animal body parts. Besides two leopard hides, one deer hide and one tusk, the officials also seized one deer antler, one severed boar head, two tortoise cells, one bow and five arrows, nine bear nails, eight tiger teeth and weapons from their possession.
The department identified the accused as Anant Murmu (60) and Laxman Murmu of Kalaspur village and Narendra Kumar Bighi (49) of Jamunalia village under Gandia police limits. Investigation revealed that Narendra worked as a teacher at Salagaon Upper Primary School under Tangi block in Cuttack district.
It was when they failed to produce any valid reasons for possessing the animal body parts, they were arrested. All of them have been booked under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Acting on a tip off from a reliable source, a team led by assistant forest conservator Rashmiranjan Swain and Kapilas ranger Goutam Pradhan under the guidance of Dhenkanal district divisional forest officer Prakash Chand Gogineni had conducted raids.
Notably, five poachers in the Dhenkanal forest division were arrested earlier in the day. Four country-made guns, two deer antlers, 100 traps, three scales of pangolin were seized from their possession. The accused were identified as Naba Balmuchi (21), Budu Balmuchi (27), Ratna Balmuchi (30), Kurupa Baipi (28) and Sanatan Dehury (33) of Dhenkanal.
PNN