Six persons have been apprehended for allegedly trying to smuggle leopard hide in Odisha's Deogarh district, forest officials said on Tuesday. The skin of a full grown leopard was seized during an operation by a team of forest personnel near Chatabarghat when it was being smuggled from Sundargarh to Sambalpur on Monday night, the official said.

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Forest officials acted on reliable information

The forest personnel also seized the jeep used for the offence, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Deogarh, Khyama Sarangi, said. Acting on reliable information, the forest team tracked the smugglers and nabbed them after posing as customers for buying the leopard skin, an official said.

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More people could be involved in the racket

The smugglers were planning to sell the leopard hide in Sambalpur, the official added. Efforts are on to ascertain the possible involvement of other people in the racket, the DFO said.

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