Two policemen and five others were arrested while trying to smuggle the skin of four leopards in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Friday evening, officials said on Saturday.
The arrested men have been identified as Masram Kidiyami, a resident of Nelasnar, Shankar Poyam of Bangpal, Lalu of Bade Surokhi, Arjun Barsa of Hiranar, Ladruram of Bade Surokhi, Ramnath of Bangpal and Tamo Deepchandra of Kasoli.
Police said Kidiyami was an assistant constable and Shankar Poyam was a ‘gopniya sainik’ posted in Dantewada district of Bastar region.
Police said the accused were nabbed from Karli village of Geedam area following a tip-off.
“We were contacted by the deputy director of the Indravati Tiger Reserve NK Sharma in the morning for a credible intel of some poachers or smugglers transporting leopard/tiger skin. We formed a joint team—team 1 in civil clothes for recce, gherao and raiding and other teams for security purpose forming the outer cordon,” Dantewada’s assistant superintendent of police, Suraj Singh Parihar, said.
“We recovered the skin of four leopards and arrested seven men… A case is being prepared by the forest department. We will keep on acting in future also against poachers as and when we receive reliable inputs,” Parihar added.
Police also seized four motorcycles, mobile phones and sharp-edged weapons from their possession and further investigation in the case is on.
{{/usCountry}}Police also seized four motorcycles, mobile phones and sharp-edged weapons from their possession and further investigation in the case is on.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy director of the Indravati Tiger Reserve Sharma told reporters that the accused were booked under the sections of the wildlife protection act.
The leopard is an endangered animal under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The spotted big cats are under threat with increasing numbers of leopards being poached for their body parts, including bones, claws and skin, and villagers killing them for straying into human settlements.