Leopard skin seized, 8 held in Similipal area

The forest department officers today arrested eight persons, seized a leopard skin and four country-made guns in separate incidents in the foothills of Similipal Hills of Odisha's Mayurbhanj district.
The officers seized a 4.2 feet long and one foot wide leopard skin from Kaliani village under Bisoi forest range and arrested three persons in this connection.
Suspecting that the leopard was killed from Similipal National Park area recently, Bisoi forest range officer Laxmidhar Behera said officers posing as potential buyers, approached the three persons and finalised the price at Rs 10,000.
The three persons who came to sell the skin, were arrested and their motorcycle was seized, Behera said.

In another incident, the officers arrested five persons and seized four country-made guns used in poaching of a barking deer.
Four kg of barking deer flesh was also seized from the poachers, said Udala forest ranger officer Ajay Kumar Das.