Royal Bengal Tiger skin seized, Odisha man held in Nabarangpur: Forest officials

Forest officials in Nabarangpur said Shibun Takri, a pastor from Khaliguda village, was arrested by an undercover team while negotiating the sale of the animal skin

Published on: Jun 21, 2026, 19:44:46 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A 41-year-old man from Odisha’s Nabarangpur district was arrested on Sunday for trafficking a Royal Bengal Tiger skin, forest officials said.

Officials said the tiger skin, which had reportedly been stitched, was being offered for ₹10 lakh

Forest officials in Nabarangpur said Shibun Takri, a pastor from Khaliguda village, was arrested by an undercover team while negotiating the sale of the animal skin. However, two of Takri’s associates managed to escape into the forest after sensing the presence of the enforcement team.

Divisional forest officer Udayan Subuddhi said a special team constituted under assistant conservator of forests Subash Chandra Khuntia and Dabugaon range officer Ramachandra Bhatra reached the Patri Reserve Forest area behind the Patri Gram Panchayat office around 4 pm and posed as prospective buyers.

During the operation, they identified a suspect allegedly attempting to sell a Royal Bengal Tiger skin concealed in a bag.

Subuddhi said the tiger skin, which had reportedly been stitched, was being offered for ₹10 lakh. Forest officials suspect a larger wildlife trafficking network operating in the region.

A case has been registered under relevant wildlife protection laws.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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