3 arrested with leopard head, wild boar meat in Odisha

Three persons were arrested from Odisha's Nuapada district on Sunday with a leopard head and skin, wild boar meat and several articles meant for poaching, officials said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest department personnel conducted a raid at Tipajhar village in the Dharambandha police station area near Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary in the district, Assistant Conservator of Nuapada Jairam Sabar said.

A leopard skin, one leopard head, over 10 kg of meat of wild boar, body parts of boar and leopard, nets to trap wild animals and sharp weapons used for poaching were seized from the accused, he said.

They were taken into custody and further investigation is in progress to get information about the wider racket involved in the illegal wildlife trade, Sabar said.

The operation by forest department officials comes close on the heels of similar seizure of leopard skins and arrest of poachers from Ganjam, Mayurbhanj and Nabarangpur districts earlier this month, sources said.

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